Return to Blackwood Mountain
by Crystalteen
Summary: Its been a year since the mysterious disappearance of the Washington triplets: Hannah, Beth, and Scott. Now, twelve friends are in desperate need of closure. They return to the Washington lodge on Blackwood Mountain, completely unprepared for the night of hair-raising terrors and secrets that's coming their way.
1. A Prank Gone Wrong

**A/N: What's up, my fellow readers? :) I hope you are all having a great day.**

 **"Until Dawn" was most definitely one of my top most favorite video games in all of existence. Not only did I play it multiple times, but I enjoyed the game so much that this idea formed in my brain shortly after I played it the first time.**

 **Summary : Its been a year since the mysterious disappearances of the Washington triplets: Hannah, Beth, and Scott. Now, twelve friends are in desperate need of closure. They return to the Washington lodge on Blackwood Mountain, completely unprepared for the night of horrifying terrors and secrets that's coming their way.**

 **For months, I've debated on whether or not to write this story; but now, I've decided to embrace it and bring it to life for your entertainment and suspense. Basically, I'm going to be writing out the _entire_ game and sticking to the exact same plot, all while adding some more characters, scenes, and decisions of my own. :D**

 **These new characters are:**

 **1) Scott Washington**

 **2) Russell Curtis**

 **3) Chelsea Amberwood**

 **4) Lucas Mitchell**

 **5) Ethan Miller**

 **Thirteen overall characters ... who will live and who will die? You'll have to read and see.**

 **Warning : This story is only rated T for Teen because it includes language, innuendos, and graphic descriptions of violence and gore. Also, if you never played "Until Dawn" or at least watched it online, this story will obviously contain spoilers. **

**Also** **: Since the game is over six hours long, please keep in mind that chapters will be lengthy and will require plenty of time to work on. I'm balancing schoolwork on the side of this, along with a few other fanfics.**

 **Feel free to share your thoughts and give me feedback, whether you PM them to me or post them in the reviews. I very much appreciate and look forward to feedback, so please don't hold back on reviewing. :D**

 **Every decision has the chance of altering something throughout this story. There will be many of my own little twists along the way. Make sure you read _very_ carefully. ;) ****Relationship statuses/character traits will appear in the next chapter.**

 **Now, it's time to sit back, relax, and enjoy! Have fun reading the prologue!**

* * *

The Butterfly Effect

 _A tiny butterfly flapping its wings today may lead to a devastating hurricane weeks from now._

 _The smallest decision can dramatically change the future._

 _Your actions will shape how the story unfolds._

 _Your story ... is one of **many** possibilities._

 _Choose your actions carefully._

* * *

 **Russell's POV**

 _ **ONE YEAR AGO. FEBRUARY 2, 2014.**_

It was Hannah's idea to throw a party, but it took a lot of convincing from Beth to get me invited. From what I heard, the whole gang was going to be there and Scott knew nothing about it until last minute. Which, to be honest, wasn't much of a surprise to anyone. Scott Washington was usually always the last one to find out about his sisters' plans, courtesy of his own jam-packed schedule. Not only was he on the track, ice hockey, and basketball team, but he also participated in a majority of the videos on Josh's blog and even found the time to help organize Mike's class president campaign. Plus, he had straight A's and was involved in a happy, committed, and ... "active" relationship with Ashley.

Everyone - inside and out of the group - seemed to agree that Scott looked a lot like Simon Nessman, who was this "legendary" male model that my first sister was absolutely _obsessed_ over. In a way, I guess I could see it. Scott had the same slicked back hairstyle and very similar bone structure, but his eyes were much rounder and they weren't brown. Instead, they were the same milky shade of green as Josh's eyes. Also, despite how he usually wore contacts, Scott had a pair of glasses that would've matched Chris's down to a tee if they hadn't been brown. He was very proud of his appearance, needless to say.

The two of us went _way_ back and I got along perfectly fine with Josh and Beth on the side, but Hannah was a different story. For some strange reason, she wanted nothing at all to do with me. Beth knew, considering she was the one who Hannah confided in about everything, and she constantly tried to figure out what the problem was so she could fix it. However, she never could. Josh, on the other hand, pretended that there was nothing going on for the sake of the rest of the group; and Scott ... well, _of course_ Hannah refused to let him find out about how much she despised me. _I was his best friend, for crying out loud!_

The Washington family _always_ tried to maintain close relationships and avoid conflict, especially the triplets. In fact, during spring break last year, the three of them decided to take a trip to a tattoo parlor while Josh went to see some horror film with Mike, Matt, and Lucas. Beth had always been on the fence about getting a tattoo, but Scott figured that it would be a great way for him to kick off break and Hannah, I guess, always wanted one. So, while Beth just sat in the waiting room and studied some samples, Hannah got the small image of a black butterfly designed on her shoulder and Scott got a medium-sized, dark blue lightning bolt printed on the right side of his neck.

As for me, I was like the Americanized version of the actor Danila Kozlovsky. I had the exact same shoulder-length hair, except mine was slightly wavier and dusty blonde. Not only that, but I had a light olive complexion, my eyes perfectly resembled two pale blue sheets of ice, and there was a small, bright red scar slashed across the bridge of my nose from a birthday incident.

Back when I turned sixteen, Josh decided to celebrate by sneaking me, Scott, and Chris into a late-night bar with a couple of fake IDs. At first, the evening seemed fine with the four of us shooting darts, playing pool, gossiping, cracking jokes, and downing some margaritas on the side of our birthday shots. But then, around one in the morning, everything was shot to hell when Josh, now completely wasted, tried picking up a girl without realizing that she was there with another guy. Plus, to make the situation even worse, this guy was a huge and buff biker dude that was dressed entirely from head to toe in leather and had enough metal in his face to stun a metal detector.

Long story short: one hell of a fight broke out and I was slammed in the nose with a shot glass, causing me to be stuck with this minor injury and even the nickname _Scarface_ (courtesy of none other than Joshua Washington) for the rest of my life. Scott, on the other hand, had dislocated the biker dude's jaw and was expected to face charges over assault and battery. That is, until the officer on duty found out who his father was.

Bob Washington was a famous and unbelievably wealthy movie director, mostly known for his horror films that involved a lot of gore, complex relationships, abrupt jumpscares, and twisted endings. I swear, with every movie he ever produced, he had audiences trampling over each other to get to the theater before the film had even been released. He was also well-known for buying Blackwood Mountain and having his family's lodge built right on top, which was where Hannah's invitations stated that the party was going to be held. So, when Mr. Washington agreed to sign a couple of autographs, the police "coincidentally" decided to let Scott off with a warning instead. Talk about an eventful birthday, huh?

On the bright side, considering the outcomes of _that_ night, I didn't see how this winter getaway could possibly end with anything worse. The fifteen of us were just going to get together to have fun and enjoy the luxurious lifestyle while we could. There would be no nosy professors staring directly over our shoulders or any overbearing parents barging in every few minutes to make sure that everything was okay. We had the entire mountain all to ourselves: a college kid's dream. What could possibly go wrong?

* * *

 _ **WASHINGTON LODGE. BLACKWOOD MOUNTAIN. ALBERTA, CANADA.**_

 ** _12:45_**

This wasn't my first time visiting the Washington Estate, but it was my first time during the winter. The lodge was hauntingly beautiful - an enchanting maze that was constructed entirely out of sturdy wood, polished grey bricks, and mortar. Unfortunately, it still had its disadvantages. Since it was so large, not only was it remarkably easy to get lost while exploring, but Josh made it perfectly clear that in order to prevent a fuse from blowing, we weren't allowed to use so much of the electricity at once. So, it looks like tonight's main source of light was going to be provided by the moon, along with a couple of Mrs. Washington's candles and just a few of the dim ceiling lights.

I was currently in the kitchen, staring out one of the windows with a half-empty can of Coke in my hand. A violent snowstorm was just starting to stir up, making it difficult for me to see hardly anything except for a couple of nearby trees. Now, I was _really_ starting to regret how I had talked my professor into letting me take one of the DSLR cameras with me on this trip to make up for my lack of pictures on my previous assignment. How in the hell was I supposed to get any interesting shots with the weather like _this?_ Snow was getting swept all over the place in thick wisps and frost was beginning to form right before my eyes along the edges of the window. Looks like I'm going to have to improvise and find things worthy enough to be captured on film _inside_ of this place instead.

My camera was where it had been almost this entire night: suspending by its strap and resting lopsidedly against my hip, waiting to be used. Aside from that, I was wearing an orange-and-black, button-down, long-sleeved flannel with some worn out jeans and a pair of dark brown army boots that used to belong to my dad. I also had a pair of onyx-black aviators hanging out from the single pocket of my flannel, considering it had momentarily slipped my mind while I was packing that this wasn't one of my usual summertime visits.

The outdoor shutters were beginning to rattle around from the wind, making it sound like somebody was trying to break in.

I kept my eyes on the storm, watching in boredom as the not-so-tiny snowflakes swirled around in a bunch of patterns. Then, just as I was about to make a move to take another sip of my soda ... I could've sworn that there was something out there that caught my eye. For a moment, I froze, already making the assumption that one of the group members must've decided to go outside. But that didn't make any sense. It was far too dangerous to be out there right now. So, with my curiosity getting the best of me, I dared myself to get closer to the window.

I leaned a little over the counter and squinted, trying to focus my eyes on whatever it was that I'd seen. By this point, there was so much snow being blown around that I could just barely notice the railing of veranda that was right outside the window. Though, further out in the yard ... I spotted something. Just between a couple of the trees that stood beside the long, icy path that led to the cable car station, I noticed this mysterious figure. I couldn't make out any of their features, due to how horrible the blizzard was, but by what I _could_ see ... it looked like he or she had a _very_ lanky figure and was crouching down like a dog behind a few rocks. Not only that, but they were as still as a statue, as if they had no problem at all with this god-awful weather.

"What in the hell..." I muttered, pinching the shutters between my fingers as I leaned in even closer to the window in a miserable attempt to get a better view. "Is tha-"

 _SLAM!_

A loud gasp escaped from my lips and I tore my hand away from the shutters, smacking it directly over my heart at the abrupt sound. As I did, I heard two new sounds: one, someone trying to swallow their laughter, and two, someone else allowing theirs to erupt out of them like a volcano.

"Whoa, Russ, relax," said the one who was starting to let their chuckles slip out, "it's just me and Mike."

Immediately recognizing the voice, I groaned and rolled my eyes. After that, I turned my head and saw none other than Scott now standing beside me, dressed in a black-and-grey striped shirt with mid-length sleeves, a pair of designer jeans, a dark green puffer vest that he'd left unzipped, and a pair of black wool socks. He was also wearing a royal blue beanie that belonged to Josh atop his head and he had his glasses pushed up the bridge of his nose, giving it away that he must've forgotten to pack his contacts. His tattoo was completely visible, too.

A goofy grin was spread practically ear-to-ear across his face, exposing his vague dimples. He had purposely slammed his hand down on the counter to startle me. I swear, if there was one main thing that he and Josh had in common, it was taking any possible opportunity that was given to them to scare the shit out of their friends.

"Dammit, Scott!" I sneered, shoving him in the shoulder before I spun around on my heels and rested my lower back against the counter. "Don't sneak up on me like that. You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Mike's laughter was just starting to die down from where he was standing on the opposite side of the kitchen. He pretended to wipe a tear away from the corner of his eye as he spoke through his remaining snickers, "Jeez, Russell. Cool your jets. Over-exaggerate much?"

I rolled my eyes again and crossed my arms over my chest, still feeling my heart pounding a million miles per hour in my chest. "Shut up, Mike." I mumbled, making sure that it was low enough under my breath so he wouldn't hear. I didn't have anything against Mike - he was a good pal to have; but sometimes, it _really_ annoyed me when he pushed my buttons like that for his own entertainment.

"Hey, man, my bad. I'm sorry." Scott said as he gave me a friendly slap on the back.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." I rebuked, despite how the look in my eyes gave it away that I really did accept his apology.

With his face still decorated by his highly amused grin, Scott turned away from me and started to approach the humongous island. Which, by the way, was cluttered by dozens of beer bottles, multiple gallons of soda, some plastic cups that'd been tipped over and long forgotten about, and ... Ethan.

Until now, I'd completely forgotten that Ethan had been in the kitchen with me this entire time. He was basically the male version of Allison Reynolds from The Breakfast Club, sitting on top of the granite counter in some sort of yoga position. If I remembered correctly, it was known as the lotus position - when you crossed your legs so your feet were resting on top of the opposite thighs. He had a fair complexion and unruly, chocolate-brown hair that was decorated with intense red, blue, and purple highlights. Then, there was his outfit: jet-black jeans with a few multicolored patches sewn over the rips, an oversized crimson sweater, ratty converse, five multicolored beaded bracelets (two on one wrist and three on the other), and even a necklace that had a pendant shaped like a dreamcatcher hanging from it.

Needless to say, Ethan was very ... _different._ There was nothing mentally wrong with him or anything like that. He just didn't ... like following society? I think that's the best way to put it. He didn't like the idea of being the same as everyone else, so he morphed himself into the being he was today. I'm not going to lie, I often found the things he said and did to be very weird and eerie; but he was my friend and I was willing to accept him.

"So, what are you guys doing in here?" I asked, directing my words only to Mike and Scott since I knew that Ethan wasn't going to break out of his silence anytime soon.

"It's my family's lodge," Scott declared. He raised his arms up in the air, as if he was being applaud for. "I can go wherever the hell I want, whenever I want ... and I was kind of in the mood for a drink."

He sort of mumbled the last sentence to himself, and I definitely would've chuckled if I hadn't been caught up in thinking about the strange figure I'd seen outside.

"Yeah, and, uh..." Mike drawled, gaining my attention in less than a second. He looked down at the floor and waited a couple of seconds before he continued, "...Emily wants me to fix her a margarita."

Scott breathed a quick snort, no doubt finding it hilarious that the strong-minded Michael Munroe was whipped; but he didn't say anything. Instead, he grabbed a brand new plastic cup from beside the fridge and returned to the island, where he then unscrewed the cap on the half-empty gallon of Sprite and started to pour. About halfway, he stopped and uncapped one of the unopened bottles of beer, taking a sip of it before he poured the rest into the same cup. It's official: I will never understand his taste buds.

" _Another_ margarita?" I asked, not knowing whether I sounded more confused or more in disbelief. "Didn't she already have two?"

Mike scratched the back of his neck, trying to play it cool. "Yeah, well ... she's not drunk yet and really wants another one. You know how she is."

" _Yeah, yo_ _u're right, I do know how she is. That bitch makes Godzilla look like a winner._ " With that thought ringing in my head, I lifted my Coke up to my lips and took a nonchalant swig to prevent saying it out loud. Then, after swallowing, I watched as Scott passed another plastic cup over the island to Mike and said, "Well, it's her margarita, Munroe. If it's so important to her, then why isn't she in here making it herself?"

"She doesn't want to risk spilling anything on her new jacket."

I groaned slightly at that pathetic excuse and raised my can up again as the next insult rolled into my mind, " _Translation: Queen Bee-yotch doesn't want to get her lazy ass off her throne._ "

"Make sure you go easy on the tequila, Mike." Scott cautioned as he kicked back against the refrigerator. "It's only night one and Josh wants to make every possible ounce we have last this whole trip."

Mike made a motion that was supposed to represent him saluting. "Will do."

I _really_ didn't understand Emily. I've known her ever since we were in the seventh grade and, believe it or not, she used to be my best female friend in the group. Back then, she was very honest, funny, and charitable; but now ... she was a nothing more than a manipulative and possessive bitch. Ever since her mom landed this job as VP at some kind of fashion industry, Emily thought that she was on top of the world. That was back in freshman year - back when she decided that she was "too good" to be anything above an acquiescence with people like me. Now, since her and Mike have been together since junior year, her bitchiness has flown _way_ off the charts.

You know what makes that even worse? The fact that Mike had the habit of constantly reminding me in some way that we used to be best friends. Whether that was one of the methods he used to push my buttons or not, I had no idea. Either way, it _really_ got on my nerves ... and the last thing I needed right now was to be reminded of my past with that whore. To be honest, I can't believe I ever considered her a friend. Despite how I usually kept it to myself, I had a _huge_ grudge against her and it was more than likely never going to go away. I've tried plenty of times to take it into consideration that she was probably the way that she was because her mother spoiled her rotten and her father had left before she even turned two, but ... no. There were absolutely _no_ parents in history that could be blamed for such a bitch.

Suddenly, I heard Scott's voice interrupting my thoughts, "What about you, Russ?"

"Hm?" I had zoned out longer than I'd anticipated, staring blankly in the direction of the fireplace that was on the far opposite end of the kitchen like an idiot. Mike had even finished gathering all of the ingredients to make Emily's margarita and was in the middle of adding the tequila.

The eldest of the Washington triplets took down a gulp of his creation before repeating himself, "Why are _you_ in here?"

"Oh, um ... I'm just drifting around the lodge, I guess." I pursed my lips and glanced over my shoulder so I could be staring out into the storm again. "Hey, Scott?"

"Mm-hm?"

I narrowed my eyes, almost straining them as I tried my hardest to spot the lanky figure again. "By any chance ... when you were over here..." I drawled hesitantly, "...did you see that?"

"See what?" Scott inquired.

"I thought I saw someone out there ... by the path leading to the cable car station."

Scott cocked an eyebrow in confusion and peered over at Mike. The two of them stared past Ethan and exchanged glances like they were in the middle of a telepathic discussion.

"Well, buddy, that's impossible." Scott remarked after he turned his attention back over to me. "Everyone is inside and my dad told me, Beth, Josh, and Hannah that it's just going to be all of us this weekend. There's no one else on this entire mountain."

I turned my back on the window again, doubt glimmering in my eyes. "But I could've sworn-"

"Russell, come on." Mike cut me off as he tacked a slice of lemon on the rim of Emily's margarita. " _How_ can you see _anything_ out there in all of that snow? Face it, your mind is playing tricks on you. Probably because you're stressing yourself out over that assignment for your photography class. And besides, if you really _did_ see something, it was probably just a deer or a fox or some other type of animal."

Scott nodded a little, "Mike's right, Russ." He then took a sip of his beverage that was big enough to have his cheeks puff out, lifting his cup in the air as he swallowed. "Why don't you have a drink? It'll help you loosen up."

I furrowed my brow, flicking my eyes back and forth from him to Mike. "The two of you claim that I'm having hallucinations and the first thing you do, Scott, is offer me alcohol?"

"Hey," Mike flashed a cheeky smile in my direction, "next to food and sex, alcohol is the best cure for anything."

Scott snickered slightly, "Amen to that."

In another weak attempt to locate the mysterious figure, I gazed over my shoulder again; but it was no use. It was a total whiteout out there and, judging by the few shapes that I _could_ make out, whoever that strange person was - if there had even a person to begin with - was gone. Maybe Mike and Scott were right ... but I just couldn't shake the feeling that someone _had_ been out there, watching us...

* * *

 _ **X Insist (there's something out there)/Ignore (forget about it) X**_

 ** _Choice Chosen: Ignore_**

* * *

Maybe if I just ... _ignored it_... it would go away. After all, like Scott said ... we were the only ones up here.

"Well, thanks, but no thanks." I said after turning back around. I rested my lower back against the counter again and held up my Coke can. "I already have a drink anyway."

Mike stared at me like I had just grown a second head.

At the same time, Scott gestured to the hundreds of beer bottles that hadn't been opened yet and said with a laugh, "I'm talking about a _real_ drink."

"I already had two beers," I informed with a sudden sly tone starting to slip across my tongue, "and unlike _some_ people, I don't drink to get drunk."

"Whoa, whoa ... wait a minute." The eldest Washington triplet coughed a few times. "Name _one_ time I have ever gotten drunk."

One of the corners of my mouth twitched, forming half of a smug grin. "Seventh grade, Kyle Rochester's house party. Ring any bells?" I prodded. "You chugged all of the liquor that Kyle had broken out of his old man's liquor cabinet and danced to _Party in the USA_ on top of the coffee table? I stayed with you to make sure that you would be okay after you passed out in the lounge and when you woke up, you threw up in Chris's backpack?"

A faint blush burned across Scott's cheeks, his eyes now wide and glassy from the memories coming back to him. He ran the tip of his tongue across his lips and opened his mouth, no doubt going to try changing the topic; but before he could get a word out, he was cut off from the sound of Chris calling out from the living room, "What was that?"

"Nothing!" Mike and I simultaneously called back in the most nonchalant tones that we could muster. Which, by the way, took _a lot_ of willpower since we were both on the verge of cracking up.

"All right, all right. I get your point, Scarface. No more beer for you tonight." Scott said with a slight roll of his eyes. "What about you, Munroe?"

"Yeah, I'll have another one. Toss it over."

Scott obliged, snatching up one of the sealed bottles before he tossed it across the island like a basketball. It soared past Ethan, who still hadn't moved a muscle or said a word this entire time, and Mike caught it with no difficulties.

"And you, Ethan?" Scott asked, but all he got in return was silence. So, Scott took a sip of his drink and swallowed before trying again, "Ethan? ... You thirsty, buddy?" This time, Ethan drew in a deep breath through his nose, held it in for a couple of seconds, and then slowly exhaled through his mouth; but his eyes still remained shut. "Ethan?" Scott went for a third try, only to be given the same response.

"Yo, Ethan!" Mike, being the closest one to the chocolate-haired lad, placed a hand on his knee and shook his leg. "You in there, dude?"

At last, Ethan's eyes shot open and Mike immediately pulled his hand away. Right now, I think it's a good time to mention that Ethan's eyes were so dark to the point where they almost looked black. For a moment, he looked like he had just seen a ghost; but then, after looking at me, Mike, and Scott, he groaned and began to talk in his usual disapproving voice.

"Well, shit, guys!" He unfolded his legs so they were now lying flat across the countertop, a pointed look masking his face. "Don't you know that it's bad luck to disturb someone while they're in their peace zone?"

I raised an eyebrow and exchanged glances with Scott, just as Mike spoke awkwardly, "Uh, yeah ... sorry about that, man. We'll try to keep that in mind from now on."

"We'll _definitely_ keep that in mind from now on." Scott corrected with an entertained smile spread widely across his lips. "Sorry for disturbing you. I just wanted to know if you wanted a drink."

There was a brief moment of hesitation, in which Ethan pursed his lips and fiddled around with the dreamcatcher pendant that was around his neck. Then, while studying some of the abandoned cups with a nearby candle illuminating his eyes, he said simply, "Sure, why not? I'll take whatever it was that you made for me before."

Scott snapped his fingers and grabbed a fresh cup. "You got it."

Mike took a swig of his alcohol and watched along with me as the oldest Washington triplet prepared Ethan's drink. It was a mixture of crushed ice, Orange Crush soda, some Sprite, and about an ounce of tequila. I crinkled my nose and sipped some more of my Coke to prevent myself from gagging.

"Here you go." Scott said as he handed the finished product over to Ethan. "Enjoy, dude."

"Thanks." Instead of keeping the drink in his hands, Ethan curled his legs back up so he was almost in the fetal position and secured the cup between his knees. Then, after depositing in a straw, he wrapped his arms around his shins and began to sip with a majority of his hair hanging in front of his face like that was the most casual way to enjoy a drink.

Mike peeked up at the ceiling and shook his head, looking both unnerved and hypocritical.

At the same time, Scott decided to walk back over to where I was standing and lean against the counter beside me again.

"'Peace zone'?" I asked in a whisper.

Scott raised his shoulders and chuckled a little as he watched Ethan blow a couple of bubbles in his drink. Then, he turned his head to look at me and whispered back, "If he's so determined to be this way, then who are we to stop him? He is who he is."

Just then, a new voice pierced through the air like sharp blades, "Michael!"

Mike immediately started to cough from what must've been his beer going down the wrong pipe. He smacked himself in the chest a few times and then buried his mouth in his arm in an attempt to subdue the coughing.

" _Oh, great,_ " I quietly groaned, listening to the words echo across my mind, " _here comes the Wicked Witch of the West._ "

One of the large hardwood doors shot open and Emily - the Queen of the Bitches herself - came storming into the room with an impatient scowl plastered on her face. She looked like she was out to draw blood, her sunkissed cheeks stained bright red and dark brown eyes overflowing with bitterness. She marched right up to Mike and crossed her arms over her chest, showing no concern for his heaving whatsoever.

"Michael, what in the hell is taking you so long?" Emily demanded, refusing to acknowledge the presence of me, Ethan, and Scott. "You've been keeping me waiting for almost a whole twenty minutes! Seriously, it shouldn't take _this_ long to make one lousy margarita."

Mike dropped his arm back down to his side and huffed. "It only took a few minutes for me to fix the margarita, Em." He almost sounded tired - like he couldn't believe that he was about to get sucked into _another_ argument with his girlfriend.

"If that's the case, then what are you still doing in here?" Emily placed her hands on her hips and began to speak teasingly. "What, you would rather be spending time with the guys instead of your own girlfriend? Because, if I remember correctly, you weren't moaning out Russell's or Voodoo Boy's names last night."

Ethan shot daggers in her direction, still curled up in a ball and going back and forth from sipping to blowing bubbles in his drink. Right now, his eyes looked scary enough to the point where I could've sworn that they were seconds away from burning holes right through Emily's forehead. If that didn't get the point across that he _hated_ being referred to as _Voodoo Boy,_ I didn't have the slightest clue as to what would.

Scott emitted a low whistle and looked down at the floor, pretending to readjust his glasses.

* * *

 ** _X Keep Quiet/Speak Up X_**

 ** _Choice Chosen: Speak Up_**

* * *

"Excuse me, princess," I spoke up with a disgusted glare smeared across my face, "but there are other people in this room and, believe it or not, none of us are interested in hearing about your sex life. Keep it to yourself."

Emily's plump lips molded into an insulting grin as she turned her head to look at me. "At least _I_ don't ever have to worry about taking matters into my own hands or dying with my undies full of cobwebs," she chuckled nastily, "face it, _Scarface_ , you're just jealous."

"Jealous of _what?_ " I narrowed my eyes at how much venom was dripping from her voice when she said my nickname; but a bitter laugh escaped from my mouth at what I said next. "In case you haven't stopped spreading your legs for strangers long enough to notice, I don't need to have sex with Sam in order to keep our relationship maintained."

By this point, Mike's cheeks were smoldering like two pools of lava; but I couldn't tell if he was angry or embarrassed.

The pride in Emily's eyes started to falter. "God, I _really_ don't understand what she sees in you," she growled, referring to none other than Sam, "she can seriously do so much better than your pathetic ass."

"Funny you should say that ... because I just so happen to think the same exact thing every time I see Mike with his tongue shoved down _your_ throat, _Emelina._ "

Now, Emily _really_ looked like she was on the verge of flinging herself across the kitchen to lash out on me. If there was one main thing that she couldn't stand, maybe even more than seeing other girls hit on Mike, it was being called by her official name. There was even a rumor once in sophomore year that she slept with Dylan Turner and then broke up with him the following day because he kept screaming out "Emelina" instead of "Emily". Normally, I wasn't the type of person who listened to rumors without being shown any evidence; but when it involved Emily and her sleazy ass, it was very easy to believe.

After what felt like an eternity, Mike cut in to prevent this showdown from escalating any further. "Hey, Em," he said, giving his girlfriend's arm a small nudge, "I have your drink right here."

Emily, with her face still flushed, ripped the plastic cup out of Mike's hand and immediately began to examine it. "Michael ... what in the hell is _this?_ " She pointed to the lemon slice that was attached to the rim with scorn.

"Uh..." Confusion sparked across Mike's pale brown orbs, "...a slice of lemon?"

The young Asian woman groaned exasperatedly, looking like she was seconds away from ripping her boyfriend's hair out. "You should know by now that I always drink my margaritas with slices of _lime_ on the side!" she complained. "And what's this? ... _Crushed_ ice? We went over this God knows how many times, Michael! The only time I liked crushed ice is when I'm drinking tea! Any other time, it's supposed to be cubed!"

Scott pursed his lips and scratched the back of his neck, just as I slumped back against the counter and pinched the bridge of my nose in annoyance. Ethan was still scowling, almost like he was trying to wield Emily's "new" racer-styled jacket to burst into flames.

"I'm sorry, Em." Mike droned, not knowing what else to say.

"I don't want to hear any apologizes. Just make sure that you get it right next time." At last, Emily spun back around and strut out of the kitchen with her margarita - but not without shooting one final icy glare in my direction.

"For the love of all of Mother Earth," Ethan growled, not even waiting for the door to fully shut from Em's departure, "that girl can't go a day without giving off bad vibes. It's sickening ... barbaric."

Mike placed his hands on his hips and turned to look at our chocolate-haired friend, shaking his head slightly. "Don't start," he said as calmly as he could manage, despite the snippy glint that was in his eyes.

I rolled my eyes and sat my Coke down on the counter, having no desire to drink what was left. Then, I removed the lens cap from my camera and positioned it the way I'd been taught ever since middle school journalism. I sure as hell didn't want to spend another second talking about Emily. So, why not take a couple of pictures? They might've not consisted of high mountain views or interesting discoveries in the forest, but I could still find stories to present to my class with shots of my friends. That is, if I tweaked them well enough so my professor wouldn't find out about any of the alcohol.

"Hey, Scott," I said, spinning the dial around a few times before raising the eyepiece up to my face, "smile."

With an overdramatic sigh, Scott broke out a grin that remarkably looked a lot like Josh's and coolly leaned against the counter while thrusting his now empty cup into the air. I readjusted the lens just slightly and then pressed down on the correct button, causing an audible _click_ to ring through the air. Then, I watched as it appeared as clear as day on the screen with a satisfied grin on my face.

The oldest Washington triplet snickered. "Damn, Russell. Has anybody ever broke it to you that you are a totally helpless being without a camera in your possession?"

"Quit being a smartass and help me with at least one more shot. Seriously, the last thing I need when this trip comes to an end is my professor lecturing my ears off about how it was 'so irresponsible' of me to not have reached my deadline."

"All right, all right, all right." Scott caved. He waved his arm, motioning for me to follow him as he began to walk around to the opposite side of the large island. I complied, spinning the dial on my camera again as I watched my best friend wedge himself between Mike and the modern white chair that Ethan was now resting his feet on.

"Mike. Ethan. Time to smile for the paparazzi." Scott positioned his elbow against Ethan's knee and flashed the camera another 'party time' grin as he rested his head against his fist. At the same time, Mike draped his arm across Scott's shoulders and raised an eyebrow as a confident grin curled up on one of the corners of his mouth. In all honesty, it looked like he was checking out a girl. Although, Ethan didn't smile. Instead, he placed one of his hands against his chest, clenched a fistful of his sweater, and lifted his cup up to his face so only his hazel eyes could be seen peering over the top. And even without the flash, he almost blinked.

"Three, two, one ... got it." I snapped the picture and lowered the camera to look at my three friends, who had already dropped their poses. "All right, guys, that was a good one. Thanks ... I'm going to go see if I can find some more stuff to take pictures of for my presentation."

"Okay, Mr. Party Animal. Have at it." Scott said as he playfully rolled his milky green eyes. "If you ever get the chance, try upstairs. I think my mom bought some new paintings and sculptures that you can take a look at, but you are more than welcome to take pictures of anything that you find fascinating."

A new smile welded up on the corners of my lips. "Thanks, Scott."

"Don't mention it, dude. What are friends for?"

I was very grateful to have such an awesome best friend like him. We bumped our knuckles together, right before he turned away to prepare another drink for himself and I whisked around on my heels, heading for the hardwood doors.

"Good luck, Russ!" Mike called out as he saluted me with two fingers.

"Thanks!"

* * *

 _ **WASHING LODGE LIVING ROOM**_

 _ **01:02**_

I pushed the door open and allowed it to close by itself behind me. Now, I was standing in the humongous living room of the Washington lodge. This room had everything - a _huge_ fireplace with a plasma screen TV embedded in the wall above it, two long couches that provided enough space for the entire Brady Bunch family, expensive (though weirdly shaped) vases, and ... a brass sphere hanging from the ceiling? That "decoration" was entirely new to me, considering my previous visit to the Washington Estate was sometime last summer and it wasn't here then. Plus, the last time I was here, there wasn't any beer bottles, dented soda cans, plastic cups, or junk food scattered across the carpet and coffee tables.

Beth and Hannah were currently by the fancy staircase, engaged in some type of conversation that had both of them laughing. Emily, on the other hand, was slowly pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace, looking like she was about to die of boredom with her margarita still in her hand. She must've been waiting for Mike to come back out.

Jessica was sitting in the armchair that was closest to the fireplace and flipping through _Fifty Shades of Grey_. Judging by the intrigued blush and naughty smile that was covering her porcelain-white face, it was obvious that she must have been reading a pretty graphic scene.

As for Ashley, she was sitting at the end of one of the couches and enjoying a bag of Doritos while participating in one of those magazine friendship quizzes with Chelsea. A little away from them, Ashley's cousin, Lucas, was lying flat on his back and looking up at the ceiling with an unlit cigarette dancing from one corner of his mouth to the other. Like usual, he was plugged into his iPod and drowning out everything else that was going on around him with his music.

Sam, who just so happened to be wearing the red-and-white sweater that I had given her as a gift last Christmas, was socializing with Matt on the other couch; and lastly, Chris was standing in front of one of the windows, sipping a beer while looking out into the blizzard.

For some strange reason, Josh was nowhere in sight; but I didn't put much thought into it. I was too caught up in staring up at the brass sphere through the eyepiece of my camera, zooming in on it and waiting until it was no longer blurry in my sight before I took the shot. Then, as I lowered the camera back down, I caught a glimpse of Chelsea getting up from the couch with her hands jammed in the back pockets of her bedazzled jeans. Aside from those, she was wearing a pair of black snow boots that were trimmed with realistic faux rabbit fur, a camouflage jacket, and a yellow tank top that had the words "Weird? Bitch, I'm Limited Edition" printed on in in black cursive letters.

Chelsea Amberwood was a very pretty girl. To me, she was the second most attractive female in the whole group - after Sam, who would _always_ remain in first place. Her skin looked like it was made out of dark melted caramel and her eyes perfectly resembled two polished emeralds. She also had a small diamond stud pierced into the right side of her nose and dark mahogany hair that was scrunched up in a bunch of long, natural curls. Sometimes, I found it very difficult to believe that she didn't have a boyfriend yet.

Chelsea stepped over a few empty pretzel bags and walked over to me, her rosy lips already twisted into a grin. "Hey, Scarface," she said, now standing at my side, "I see you're caught up in that camera of yours again." She then glanced in the direction that I was still looking in and laid her eyes on the massive sphere. "It looks like the Washingtons are running out of ideas on how to decorate all of the space they got here."

"I don't think it should even be called a 'decoration'." I remarked, sounding just as clueless as I looked. "What in the hell is that thing supposed to be anyway?"

"Uh ... I'm not sure." Chelsea scratched the back of her neck in thought. "I think Josh said something about it being a prop from one of his old man's movies. Mr. Washington was tired of keeping it in storage and wanted to do something with it, if I remember correctly."

I cocked an eyebrow at her, still confused. "So, he decided to suspend it from the ceiling?"

"So it seems." Chelsea drew her hands out of her pockets and placed them on her hips, chuckling. "I swear, Russ, if there was any possible way to get up there, I would spend hours swinging around on that thing without a care in the world."

"Oh, yeah?" It was my turn to laugh as I imagined the dozens of horrible things that could possibly go wrong if something like that ever happened. "Now _that_ would make one hell of a great shot ... and God knows I need them. My presentation is just a couple of days away and I'm still over eighty photos short."

Chelsea touched her chin and glanced at my camera, watching with curious eyes as I spun the dial around a few times again. Then, after a brief pause, she snapped her fingers and said, "I have an idea." She spun around on her tiptoes and trotted over to where Sam and Matt were sitting, not even giving me the chance to say anything back. As soon as she made it over to them, she almost made Matt drop his Bloody Mary as she lunged at his side and leaned in close to whisper something into his ear. For a moment, Matt looked lost; but then, after peeking over at me, one of his good-natured grins swept across his face and he nodded at our emerald-eyed friend.

"Sure." I heard him say, right before he took a hold of Chelsea's hand and stood up from the sofa with her. They walked until they made it to the front of the other couch, making sure that they weren't invading Lucas and Ashley's space on the far opposite end as they stopped to look at each other. "Ready?" Matt asked, and when Chelsea nodded in response, he didn't think twice before hauling her up into the air and placing her effortlessly on top of his shoulders.

Then, after making sure that she was settled, Matt wrapped one of his arms around Chelsea's shin to prevent her from falling back and Chelsea lifted her arms up into the air with a large smile on her face. From just the right angle, it really did look like she was holding up the brass sphere all by herself.

"Wahoo!" Beth cheered, throwing a fist up into the air before clapping her hands like a cheerleader. "Let's go, Matt and Chelsea, let's go!"

Sam clapped along, grinning brightly. "Yeah, you guys look great!"

"We got some badasses in the house!" Chris sang like a hipster as he pretended to 'raise the roof' with his beer bottle still in his hand. That had me, Ashley, and Matt laughing, but the looks on Emily and Jessica's faces gave it away that they were both starting to get _very_ irritated.

"What do you say, Russ?" Matt asked. He positioned his other hand into the shape of a gun and pointed it at me, still smiling. "This worthy enough for a picture?"

"Hell yeah!" I exclaimed, causing Sam to playfully roll her teal eyes and Ashley to giggle through a mouthful of Doritos. I lifted the camera up to my face and, after readjusting the lens again, snapped the picture. Luckily, it came out looking just as perfect as my three previous ones. "That was really great." I said after the photo appeared on the screen. "Thanks, you two."

Chelsea dropped her arms. "No problem."

"Glad to help, man." Matt said at the exact same time, just as he carefully unwrapped his arm from around Chelsea's leg and began to help her down.

"Ohh, Samantha~" I sang teasingly. I was already looking at her through the camera's eyepiece and spinning the dial to prepare for another photo.

My girlfriend scoffed playfully and took a swig of her Diet Cola before speaking, "You are the biggest nerd I have ever met in my _entire_ life, Russell." Then, she positioned herself like The Thinker - except, instead of looking down at the ground with a focused glare on her face, she had her head turned in my direction and was showing off her pearly white teeth with that smile I loved so much.

"I know, but..." I took the picture and flashed her a flirtatious smirk, "...it's obvious that you wouldn't have me any other way, doll face."

A bright pink tint melted across Sam's cheeks. She chuckled softly and waved her arm through the air, motioning for me to carry on with my photography elsewhere. Now was probably the best time for me to follow Scott's suggestion and head upstairs; but I wasn't planning on just walking past Beth and Hannah like they weren't there. If there was one main thing that Josh and Scott both despised, it was people treating their sisters unfairly. So, as I approached the staircase, I prepared myself for a conversation. Not that I had a problem with it, of course.

Beth was still standing on the first stair and leaning against the railing while Hannah remained sitting on the third stair, looking up at her. At the sound of my footsteps, they both immediately turned their heads to look at me; but while a friendly grin broke out across Beth's olive face, Hannah's brown eyes seemed to darken like two storm clouds. Seriously, I had no idea what her problem with me was. She practically worshiped the ground that everyone - literally _everyone_ \- walked on, except for me.

"Jeez, Curtis," Beth chuckled, addressing me by my surname, "I swear, ninety-nine percent of the time I see you, it's like I'm experiencing a live photoshoot."

I grinned, trying not to show any embarrassment. "I hope that's not a bad thing."

"Oh, of course not." The youngest Washington triplet shook her head at me and spoke reassuringly. "It just shows how dedicated you are to your career choice. Scott showed me some of the albums you made with your parents and all of the photos were absolutely _breathtaking._ I especially loved the one that captured the view of Niagara Falls."

"Well, I'm glad that you liked them."

At that moment, it came to my realization that I hadn't thanked either of the Washington girls for inviting me yet. I'd been so caught up in seeing everyone together again that it sort of slipped to the back of my mind. My icy blue eyes flickered over to Hannah, who was still staring at me like she had caught me trying to steal money out of her purse. If it wasn't for Beth, I wouldn't have been invited with the rest of the group to begin with ... but Hannah was still technically the hostess.

* * *

 _ **X Thank Beth/Thank Both X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Thank Both**_

* * *

It only made sense to thank both of them. Even with Hannah giving me the cold shoulder, I always tried taking the high road with her. Especially since I was dating her best friend and her brother was _my_ best friend.

I flicked my attention back and forth between the sisters. "Hey, before I forget," I began with genuine sincerity, "I really want to thank you guys for inviting me up here. I love visiting this place. The mountains provide me with plenty of inspiration and it feels great to be surrounded by the whole gang again."

Beth raised her hand, signaling for me to stop. "There's no need to thank us, Russell. Really, you _deserve_ to be here with the rest of us and we're just glad that you could make it." She then twisted around to look at her sibling. "Right, Hannah?"

"Uh ... yeah _,_ sure." Hannah replied as she pushed some strands of her mid-length, black hair out of her face. It was official: she hated me to the point where she didn't even bother trying to make herself sound convincing.

I pursed my lips, just as Beth sighed and glanced back at me apologetically.

"Well ... it's been awhile since I've seen either of you. College has been pretty hectic these past couple of months and I'm still trying to adjust to only seeing my family on the weekends. But you both look great." I gave a quick up-and-down gesture to both of them and then lifted my camera up, trying to paper over the awkwardness. I've been through enough moments with Hannah to know just when it was the best time to change the topic. "How about a quick shot?" I asked kindly.

"Yeah! Yeah, that's a great idea." Beth almost instantly perked back up and motioned for Hannah to stand. "Come on, Hannah. It's only one pic."

Hannah gave her eyes a slight roll, but turned her head a little to the side and pretended to readjust her square glasses to hide it. Then, she stood up and stepped down two stairs so she could be standing on the same one as her sister. Beth wrapped her arm around Hannah's and hovered her other hand directly over her heart, signing peace with a full-toothed grin covering her face. Hannah, on the other hand, leaned slightly against her sister and forced her lips into a taut smile that made her almost look constipated. I swear, if I had been anyone else in the group, even Emily or Jess, Hannah wouldn't have hesitated to give me an _actual_ smile; but I was going to take what I could get.

I took the picture and studied how it turned out on the screen. "Beautiful." I declared proudly.

"Careful." Beth cautioned as she pointed a finger at me teasingly. "You wouldn't want to make Sammy over there jealous."

Hannah folded her arms and hung her head so she could be glaring down at her brown leather boots. Like Emily, she thought that Sam shouldn't have been involved with _me_ of all guys on the planet; but at least Hannah kept _those_ thoughts to herself.

I flashed a genuine smile and laughed sarcastically, "Hardy-hardy-har-har."

"How long have you two been together now?" Beth asked, cocking her head a little to the left. "A year?"

"Two years." I corrected.

"Ugh!" Emily's voice suddenly erupted through the air, causing everyone in the room to immediately snap their attention over to her. "This place is so freaking _freezing!_ "

" _Well, maybe next time, you should consider wearing a pair of pants that don't look like they're spray painted on._ " I thought to myself, no longer grinning.

The Asian groaned again and froze in her tracks, looking like a five-year-old that was seconds away from throwing a tantrum. "Doesn't _anybody_ know how to crank up the heat?" she demanded.

Chelsea rolled her eyes, now standing between the two coffee tables with Matt's half-drank Bloody Mary in her hand. "You know, Drama Queen," she stated bluntly, "you're standing right in front of a _fireplace._ If you're _still_ so damn cold, start a fire."

"Excuse me? Do I _look_ like a lumberjack?" Emily scoffed and held up one of her hands to show off her maroon nails. "I just got a manicure and I'm not planning to break a nail anytime soon."

Chelsea shrugged sarcastically. "Well, then it looks like your ass is going to freeze." Then, just as she was about to lift the Bloody Mary up to her mouth, she stopped and pretended to study Emily. "Although, it doesn't look like there's much of an ass back there to freeze to begin with."

"Hey!" Emily snapped like a junkyard dog, taking a stomp forward. "You better watch your fat mouth, bitch!"

Danger electrocuted through Chelsea's bright green orbs. "No, _you_ better watch it," she sneered, "because the next time you call me a bitch, I won't hesitate to kick your flat, oh-so-freezing, snobby ass right off of this mountain!"

I almost chuckled at that. One of the main reasons that Chelsea and I got along so well was because we both didn't mind putting Emily in her place. Except, Chelsea did it a lot more intensely.

"There's no need for that." Matt - being the peacemaker that he was - intervened as quickly and calmly as possible, looping an arm around Chelsea's waist to prevent her from trying to charge towards Emily. "Come on, guys, we're here to have fun, remember? Let's not waste any of our time at each other's throats when we could be partying together."

"Matt, how about instead of playing the role of a counselor, you use those muscles of yours for something more than just tossing around a football?" Emily asked as she harshly pointed at a couple of short, neatly stacked logs. "Start a fire, would you?"

"Oh, for crying out loud, _I'll_ do it." Chelsea groaned. In the blink of an eye, she chugged down what was left of the Bloody Mary and wiped her mouth with her sleeve. "And when I'm done, I'll consider getting drunk in order to forget about this whole conversation."

By this point, I had already begun walking up the stairs, not wanting to risk sticking around for anymore arguments.

"Hey," Hannah spoke up as she and Beth turned to look at me, "where do you think you're going?"

I froze on the seventh step to look back at them. "Scott said that I was more than welcome to look around upstairs for anything interesting to take pictures of."

"It's _okay,_ Han." Beth said, giving her sister's arm a reassuring squeeze before she glanced back at me. "Go ahead. Have fun exploring."

"Just don't break anything." Hannah warned. "Everything in this lodge is practically irreplaceable. You break it, you buy it."

Beth nudged her slightly, but said nothing.

Now, I was starting to look bored. "I've never broken anything in this place before, Hannah ... so don't worry about that. I'll be back down in a bit." After that, I turned back around and continued my way up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

* * *

 _ **01:12**_

"Okay..." I murmured to myself after making it up to the third floor, my camera already in position. "Let's see what we can find up here."

I began to explore, walking across the _long_ loft that overlooked the entire living room as carefully as possible. I wasn't a cautious freak or anything like that, but since there were no lit candles or dimmed lights up here for the time being, I had only the moonlight to depend on and I didn't want to risk tripping over anything. So, after making it to the large set of doors at one of the ends of the loft, I pushed only one open and entered this incredibly short and dusty hallway. It might've not seemed like much, but believe it or not, this teeny hall connected one half of the _entire_ Washington mansion to the other half.

I walked past the grandfather clock that read the time _1:12 A.M._ and snapped a photo of a few vases that were made to look like faces at the opposite end of the hall. Then, I exited through the next set of doors and was immediately greeted by a much brighter shower of moonlight. Old-fashioned pots containing dead plants were lined up across one of the windowsills and I could still hear the rest of the group laughing together and sparking up new conversations in the distance. I kept walking, taking pictures of almost all of Mrs. Washington's new paintings and sculptures that I spotted along the way. That is, until my attention was grabbed by something else: Scott's bedroom door, just barely cracked open like it always was.

"Hmm..." I pursed my lips and just stood there for what felt like an eternity, thinking. "Should I...?"

* * *

 ** _X Keep Walking/Take A Look X_**

 ** _Choice Chosen: Take A Look_**

* * *

Scott and I were as close as brothers. We've been in each other's rooms _thousands_ of times and it wasn't like I was planning to go in there to take pictures of all of his stuff without permission. All I was going to do was walk in, take a look around, and then walk back out. No harm done. So, after placing the camera back down against my hip, I approached the medium-sized door, slid my fingers through the thin crack, and opened it. An eerie _creak_ echoed through the air. Then, I entered, already feeling a bunch of childhood memories wash over me.

Scott's bedroom was a lot neater than one would assume for a teenager's. The floor was constructed out of shiny mahogany wood and the walls, except for one, were painted teal with posters of different rock bands decorating them. The other wall was constructed out of grey stone and taken over by two medium-sized windows that provided an incredible view of the forest.

A king-size bed sat between them, covered by a black-and-red striped blanket and matching pillows. Also, at the foot of the bed, two brown beanbag chairs were slumped directly beside each other on the floor. Across the room from them, there was a massive plasma screen TV placed on top of an ebony table, surrounded by millions of video games, DVDs, and CD's that were organized in a variety of perfect stacks.

Mrs. Washington was a neat freak for sure.

There were also a couple of long shelves stretched across the wall above the bed, showing off hundreds of polished trophies, plaques, and ribbons that Scott had been rewarded with for accomplishing so damn much on the track, ice hockey, and basketball teams. And lastly, other than the huge walk-in closet, the chandelier that looked like it was made out of _many_ miniature disco balls, and the grey wolf skin rug, he had a brand new stereo and his laptop placed on top of a desk beside the door.

The moonlight easily shined through the translucent black drapes and bathed the entire room in silvery light.

"Wow," I muttered with a grin crossed over my face, "it doesn't look like much has changed in here since my last visit."

I glanced up, noticing that there were still a few clusters of glow-in-the-dark stars plastered on the ceiling from Scott's childhood. When the two of us were kids, we used to lie on the floor and stare at those things for hours during our sleepovers. I was surprised that they still worked, just barely glowing bright green right before my eyes. It definitely would've been much more noticeable if the moonlight wasn't pouring in.

I then walked over to the dresser and studied the _many_ framed photos that Scott had nicely arranged across the top. A majority of them were of him with none other than Josh, Hannah, and Beth. In one, the triplets were gathered together in the arms of a midway mall Santa and two-year-old Josh was bouncing giddily on his knee. In another, Scott was holding up his acceptance letter to Brown University with Josh's arm looped proudly around his shoulders. There was also a very recent picture of the four of them goofing around together: Beth was doing the duck face, Josh was giving himself a pig nose with his eyes crossed, Hannah was pretending to be a fainting maiden, and Scott had his tongue sticking out in a goofy grin. You could definitely tell that they were having a blast.

I also noticed a photo that was of me and Scott, dating back to when we were six-years-old and attending summer camp together. We were both wearing matching 'Camp Saltwater' T-shirts that were covered in grass stains, paint was smeared in straight lines across our cheeks, our foreheads were smudged with dirt, and we were flashing wide grins. Mine had a gap in it from a missing baby tooth and Scott was showing off the friendship bracelet that I had made for him during Arts & Crafts out of yarn and multicolored beads. That exact same bracelet just so happened to be hanging off from the edge of the frame, too.

Also, in the picture beside that one, me, Scott, and Mike were standing together in front of the White House during our eighth grade field trip to DC. Mike was pretending to flex his muscles, Scott was making it look like he was getting ready to scale the gate, and I was laughing at their antics.

In another frame, Ashley was wearing a lime green bikini, her hair was pulled back in a soaked ponytail, and she was in the middle of enjoying a piggyback ride from Scott across the beach. You could also see Jessica sunbathing and Chelsea getting ready to serve a volleyball to Sam in the background.

Then, in another photo, Scott had his arms wrapped around Ashley's waist as she sat on a swing, his chin resting against the purple-and-brown beanie that was atop her head. Both of them had gentle smiles decorating their faces. Lucas and Emily were also in the background of that one. Emily was filing her nails, evidently unaware that a picture was being taken, and Lucas had his hand positioned in the rock and roll symbol. I remember taking both of those pictures just last summer ... good times.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed my shoulder from behind, causing me to jump.

"What the shit?!" I blurted out as I quickly spun around to see none other than Josh now standing in the room with me.

He snickered at how startled I looked and said humorously, "Well, nice to run into you again, too, Scarface."

"Shit ... Josh, it's only you." I sighed and placed my hand over my heart, feeling it beating so hard to the point where I was surprised that its outline couldn't be seen through my clothes. "What in the hell is it with you Washingtons constantly sneaking up on me?!"

Josh held his hands up to his shoulders, still chuckling. "Sorry, dude. Sometimes, you make it too easy to startle and what kind of friend would I be if I didn't take advantage of that from time to time?" Then, he dropped his arms back down to his sides and turned curious. "What are you doing in here anyway?"

"Oh, uh ... I was just ... looking for you." I replied, sounding terribly unconvincing. If he found out that I was in the middle of trying to work on homework during a party, he would flip.

An amused smile cracked across Josh's face. "In my little brother's bedroom?" He chuckled.

"Well..." I peeked over my shoulder at the sea of photos and scratched the back of my neck, trying to play it cool. "I saw that the door was cracked open-"

The eldest Washington cut in softly, "Like it always is."

"And ... I guess I got a little sidetracked." I finished somewhat honestly.

"Sidetracked from _what_ exactly?" Josh asked, evidently not falling for my lie on me trying to find him. When I pursed my lips and kept quiet that time, a knowing glint formed in his pale green eyes and he said, "Damn ... you were working on that assignment for your photography class again, weren't you?"

Well, so much for that plan.

"Okay, fine! I was." I caved, causing the eldest Washington to release an exasperated groan. "Look, I'm sorry, but Professor Hamilton is a _major_ asshole! If I don't finish taking all of the required pictures and get them uploaded for my presentation as soon as I get back to campus, he's going to fail me and chew me out in front of the whole class."

"Russ, you've been stressing yourself out over that ever since we first got here!" Josh pointed out. He reached his hand out and placed it on top of my shoulder again. "Trust me, homework can wait. There's _plenty_ of time for it later. As of now, the whole gang is together for the first time in over a year and we're having a party with no parents, no teachers, no rules, and absolutely _no_ responsibilities."

"I've actually been told that it's a good thing that I focus so much on my career choice." I informed, recalling Beth's voice back downstairs.

Josh crossed his arms, maintaining a perfectly calm tone. "Not when it's the only thing on your mind twenty-four-seven, Scarface. You're forgetting the whole reason as to why we're all up here in my family's lodge. You know what you need? To push college to the back of your mind, allow yourself to take a break, and have some fun _without_ photography for a change." A sly grin suddenly broke out across his lips. "Did Beth, Scott, or Hannah tell you about the new hot tub that our dad had installed last month? It has _wicked_ jets and the water is relaxing as hell. You should give it a try with Sam ... after all, it's in the room that's to the left of the basement. Completely soundproof." He sort of sang the last word and chuckled suggestively.

I couldn't resist rolling my eyes, but I looked down and pretended to fiddle around with something on my camera to prevent Josh from seeing me do so. Don't get me wrong, Josh was my second best friend in the entire group. Next to Scott, I knew that I could count on him and talk to him about anything; but sometimes, it got on my nerves when he tried convincing me to have sex with Sam. Even after two years of dating, we had never slept together and I was pretty sure that she wouldn't want our first time being in a friend's hot tub during a party. Not that I wanted it to be our first time location either, because I didn't.

"Josh, just out of curiosity," I glanced back up at him and raised an eyebrow, "you _do_ know that there's much more to relationships than sleeping together, right?"

The eldest Washington scoffed, but continued to smile. "Of course I do, Russ. In case you've forgotten, I've been in a few sexless relationships in the past. I'm just saying that it's different for you and Sammy. It's been two whole years since you first asked her out and you _still_ haven't invited her down to the bone zone."

I could feel my cheeks starting to bluster from a mixture of annoyance and embarrassment. "Why in the hell do you call it that?" I asked in a lame attempt to change the topic.

"Why not?" Josh asked with a small shrug and snicker. "Take it from me, it's actually a _very_ fun place to go."

I groaned quietly and pinched the bridge of my nose, rubbing my scar. Though, instead of allowing myself to get angry, I spoke with complete honesty laced around my voice. "Well, Sam and I are in no rush to dive into the 'bone zone'." I even went as far as including air quotes around Josh's made-up term, no matter how much it made me want to cringe. "We're waiting for the right moment and I can guarantee that it's _not_ during a party with all of our friends hanging around."

With a huff, Josh finally dropped it and nodded. "All right, all right. I get it. No need to go any further ... but, if you want, the offer is still on the table for you to take her down to the hot tub."

I knew for a fact that if I had been anybody else in the gang, Josh wouldn't have stopped prodding the conversation along. If I had to guess, he only backed off when I asked him to because I was Scott's best friend and he didn't want to risk pissing Scott off. If there was one main thing that the Washington kids despised, it was arguing with each other. Plus, it didn't help that their mom was constantly away with her own business and their dad was often too busy producing his movies to even come home.

"Well ... I have to admit that that _does_ sound like a pretty good idea," I said a little hesitantly, "but I'm afraid I can't. Considering that this is a _winter getaway,_ it never crossed my mind to pack a swimsuit."

Josh snapped his fingers. "Hey, man, no worries. I got you covered." Then, with another broad grin spreading across his face, the eldest Washington strolled over to Scott's closet, slid the door open in one swift motion, and walked in. For what felt like hours, nothing but the sounds of hangers being pushed around, cubbyholes being slid in and out, and just plain rummaging filled the air. Eventually, Josh came back out and tossed me a pair of dark green trunks that still had the price tag hanging from the waistband. I caught them with no difficulties.

"There you go. I'm sure that Scott won't mind you borrowing a pair. But before you get dressed, there's one more thing that I'm going to need you to do." Josh informed, right before extended his arm out towards me. "Give me your camera."

I immediately jerked my head back up to look at him. "What?" I demanded, confused. "Why?"

"Like I said, you need to take a break from photography and have some fun _without it_ for a change. So, I want you to give me your camera so I can put it in my safe." Josh explained with his hand remaining held out in front of me. "I promise that I'll give it back to you in the morning. But as of tonight, you need to let loose with the rest of us and put this assignment of yours on hold. Okay?"

I hesitated.

* * *

 _ **X Hand It Over/Hold Back X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Hand It Over**_

* * *

Then, with a roll of my eyes, I removed the leather strap from around me and quickly handed the camera over to the eldest Washington to get it over with.

"All right, fine." I grumbled, choosing to ignore the satisfaction that was glimmering in Josh's eyes. "Just be careful with it. It belongs to Professor Hamilton and the last thing I want to do when this weekend comes to an end is pay him for damaged property."

"Don't worry, Scarface. I'll make sure that it stays one hundred percent safe. Scout's honor." Chuckling, Josh raised three fingers and began to approach the door with my camera secured in his other hand. "Now, get dressed and don't forget to stop by the kitchen for some drinks before you head down to the hot tub."

Before I got the chance to say anything back, he left.

* * *

 _ **01:25**_

Until now, I had failed to notice just how drafty this place was. Now, all I had on to protect me from the freezing cold temperature was the pair of swimming trunks that Josh had pulled out of Scott's closet and my (now unbuttoned) flannel. But luckily, as I started to descend back down the stairs, it came to my attention pretty fast that the living room was starting to heat up from the fire that was now crackling in the fireplace.

" _Hallelujah! Thank you, Chelsea!_ "

Everyone was still enjoying themselves, caught up in new activities.

Mike was currently sitting in front of the fireplace and watching the burning embers, looking like he was lost in daydreaming with his arm draped around Emily. Ashley, on the other hand, was curled up on the couch and in the middle of painting Chelsea's nails with Lucas standing nearby. He was engaged in a conversation with Ethan and Matt, still wearing one of his earbuds and chowing down on what looked like the leftover half of a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato. As for Jessica, she was posing in front of one of the icy windows and taking about a dozen selfies per second, using the blizzard to her advantage. And lastly, since Chris and the Washington's were nowhere in sight, Sam was now relaxing in the armchair that was closest to the first couch.

I tiptoed over and a smirk twisted across my lips as I placed my hands over Sam's eyes from behind. "Hey, beautiful. Just the girl I wanted to see." I cooed almost directly into her ear, right before I planted a quick kiss just below her lobe.

Sam scoffed, but couldn't hold back her cheeky grin. "God, Russell, you are _so_ corny." She chuckled and rested her head against the back of the armchair so she could be looking up at me. "Mark my words, if this is your new way of asking me to pose for anymore pictures ... I'm going to give you three seconds to run before I break that camera right upside your head."

I snickered along and kept my arms wrapped around her. "Well then," I said, refusing to break eye contact, "I guess it's a good thing that Josh took my camera and locked it away in his safe until morning after all."

For a moment, Sam faltered in confusion and raised an eyebrow. "He took your camera?" she asked. "How come?"

"Oh, you know ... something about me needing to 'take a break' and 'learn how to have fun _without_ photography' for a change."

My girlfriend chuckled again. "I can't even remember the last time I saw you without a camera. And now, look at you ... you have no choice but to go _a whole night_ without one. How do you plan on surviving?"

"Funny you should ask..."

After a moment, I peeked up and noticed that Ashley and Chelsea were looking over at us with large smiles plastered on their faces. They quickly snapped their heads back down and, while Chelsea broke out into giggles, I heard Ashley whisper to her, "They are _so_ cute." Chelsea nodded in agreement and watched as the redhead started to spread the glittery, salmon polish across her other set of nails.

With a playful roll of my eyes, I glanced back down so I was looking into Sam's eyes again. "I actually came to see if you'd be interested in accompanying me downstairs in the Washington's brand new Jacuzzi."

Sam slid around halfway in the chair and flung her legs over the arm so she could get a better view of me. "Oh, really?" She smirked, just now realizing that I was wearing a pair of Scott's swimming trunks.

"Yes, really." I said as I gently pushed a few strands of her light blonde hair out of her face and tucked them behind her ear. "Josh suggested that the two of us needed some ... you know, _alone time._ "

"Of course he did." Sam muttered, right before she flung her feet back down to the floor and stood up. Then, with a joking sigh, she walked around to the other side of the armchair and said, "All right, Romeo. I'll join you."

I looped my arms around her waist and rested my forehead against hers, which probably looked a little funny since I was six-foot-three.

"Excellent." I said.

" _But,_ " Sam placed the tip of her finger against my chest, speaking both softly and seriously, "there will be absolutely _no_ funny business."

I furrowed my brow and took a quick scan around the room to make sure that nobody was listening. After confirming that nobody was, I locked my eyes back on my girlfriend and whispered, "Sammy, do you _really_ think that I want to risk giving my virginity to you when it's a possibility that any of our friends could end up walking in on accident?"

"You better not. Otherwise, we're going to wind up being guests on the Jerry Springer Show." With a humorous smile, Sam pecked me on the cheek and backed out of my arms in the direction of the stairs. "I'll go change into my bathing suit."

"Whoa, hold on a sec." I stared at her in disbelief, my eyes slightly wide. "You mean, you actually _brought_ swimwear with you on this trip?"

"Of course I did." Sam answered as she placed her hands on her hips. " _Always_ be prepared when you're visiting the Washington Estate, Russ."

"Good point. I'll try to remember that for next time." I turned my head and looked over at the kitchen doors, recalling what Josh had said to me before he abandoned me in Scott's room. "Okay, so, I'm going to go take another small trip to the kitchen. When you're through changing, come and get me. I'll be in there."

Sam gave me a thumbs up. "All right, I got it. I'll be quick."

"Relax, it's not like we're on a time limit and this place is gonna blow up or anything. Take your time." I snickered and gave my girlfriend a teasing slap on the butt, right before I winked at her. "I'll be waiting."

Sam's face immediately morphed into a playful glare; but instead of saying anything back to me, she just rolled her eyes, turned her back on me, and started her way up the stairs. At the same time, I strolled over to the other side of the living room and heard a conversation as clear as day taking place on the opposite side of the kitchen doors. I froze in my tracks, not being able to help myself. Like usual, my curiosity got the best of me and for a moment, I just stood there and listened. It was Scott, Beth, and Josh.

"Do you guys think it's ever going to stop?" Beth asked, sounding both concerned and mesmerized. "I swear, this is the _craziest_ snowstorm that has ever happened while we were up here."

"It should blow over by morning." Josh declared, followed by what sounded like him popping off the cap to a bottle. "Dad _always_ checks the weather before allowing us to come up here. If he said that it was fine, then we have nothing to worry about."

"Josh has a point, sis." Scott said confidently. "We're all safe inside the lodge. And besides, we've been through _plenty_ of blizzards before. Let's keep making the best of this one. After all, we're here with our best buds, two cozy fires, and an ass load of alcohol."

Josh laughed. "I couldn't have said it any better myself, little bro."

"Jeez, Josh, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm eighteen-years-old, a college student. I'm _not_ little." Scott rebuked. Then, after a split second, he changed the subject. "Hey, maybe in the morning, we can convince the gang to head outside so we can all have a _massive_ snowball fight."

Beth was immediately on board, "That's a great idea, Scott!"

"Yeah, why not? I'm game." Josh said with a slight hiccup at the end. He was still sober, but it was obvious that he was in the process of getting himself wasted. "Make sure you let Hannah know when she comes back down from her room."

"I will." Beth assured.

I started to feel a little bad for eavesdropping, so I decided that right then would be the best time for me to walk in. As soon as I entered, I saw that Scott was now sitting in one of the island chairs with his legs kicked up and resting across the countertop. Josh was standing across from him on the opposite side of the island, casually leaning forward with a brand new bottle of beer in his hand. And lastly, Beth was standing in the same spot that I'd been in earlier and looking out into the snowstorm. Although, at the sound of the door closing behind me, the three of them turned their heads in my direction.

"Uh ... wow, Russell," Beth said, evidently amused as she studied me from the bottom of my feet to the top of my head, "that's quite an outfit swap you did there. Aren't you ... you know, _cold?_ "

"Oh, I'm freezing." I confirmed with total honesty.

The youngest member of the Washington family chuckled and spun back around so she could continue looking out the window.

"What in the hell are you doing dressed like that, man?" Scott asked. Judging by the grin that was on his face, it was obvious that he was just as entertained as his sister. "Are you _trying_ to get frostbite?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could get a word out, the eldest Washington beat me to it.

"Actually, he's taking a break from his photography homework and getting ready to take a little detour downstairs to the brand new hot tub with Sam." He took a swig from his bottle and wiped his mouth with his sleeve, hiccuping again after he swallowed. "Which reminds me, Scott, I sort of told him that he could borrow a pair of your trunks."

"That's fine with me. God knows that I have _too many_ swimsuits." Scott said as he sunk a little deeper into his chair, getting more comfortable. "Feel free to keep those, Russ. Maybe it'll help get the point across to my mom that I'm not going to drop the ice hockey team for the swimming team anytime soon."

On the side of being a business woman and a huge neat freak, Mrs. Washington was actually a _very_ overprotective mother. She might've been proud of all of Scott's trophies and other awards, but she absolutely hated how he wasn't on, and I quote, 'much safer sports teams'. So, she basically spoiled Scott with a bunch of swimming gear in the hopes of convincing him to abandon ice hockey. Though, it never worked. Scott didn't mind swimming, but he sure as hell didn't like it enough to join a club for it either.

"All right, Scott. Thanks." I said, feeling a boatload of awkwardness lift off of me. We might've borrowed plenty of things from each other, but clothes wasn't on the list.

Scott made a gesture with his hand that I could tell meant 'no problem', just as Josh spoke up again. "So, Scarface," he said, "what type of drinks would you like to take down with you and Sammy?"

I deadpanned and rubbed the side of my neck in thought. "Uh ... I'm not sure..." Then, I shrugged. "Dr Peppers, I guess?"

"Oh, _come on,_ Russell," Josh scoffed, staring at me like I had just tried walking through a wall, "you're up in the mountains during a snowstorm and you're about to spend some alone time with your girlfriend in the coolest hot tub known to man. You can't hold yourself back _now._ " He must've noticed that he was beginning to sound 'a tad bit' overdramatic, because he paused to take another sip of beer. After he swallowed, his voice was back to its natural volume. "I'm just saying, we have plenty of other beverages here to choose from. There's beer, gin, scotch, moonshine-"

"You might as well just save your breath, Josh." Scott interrupted with a couple of snickers leaking from his voice. "It's no use. Trust me, I already tried earlier to convince him to drink up with me and Mike and he wouldn't budge."

"Maybe so, little bro," Josh said, intending the rhyme, "but that was _before_ he promised me that he would loosen up and have some fun with the rest of us." He glanced over at me again, looking very pleased with himself. "Isn't that right, Russell?"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes, wondering how in the hell I didn't see that coming.

* * *

 _ **X Give In/Hold Back X**_

 ** _Choice Chosen: Give In_**

* * *

"All right, _fine._ " I gave in, crossing my arms with a small huff. "Do you guys have any champagne?"

" _Now_ we're talking!" Josh chuckled and snapped his fingers, already starting to saunter over to one of the cupboards. "I know for a fact that my mom hides some in here for some of those high-class business shindigs of hers ... I just need to find where." He sort of mumbled the last sentence to himself, opening the cupboard up and resting his hand against his chin in deep concentration as he examined the roomy shelves. Each of them were covered by perfectly organized glassware - crystal wine glasses, glossy teacups, plates that had designs of birds and flowers painted on them ... the list could go on forever.

I looked over at Beth, only to see that she was still captivated by the blizzard. Her head was slightly tilted, as if she was in the middle of imagining that we were all safely trapped inside of a snow globe.

"I have to say, Russ," Scott said, causing me to turn back to him, "it's good to hear that you finally agreed to take a break from your assignment."

I breathed a small, humorous laugh. "Define 'agreed'."

Scott playfully rolled his eyes and swept his legs off from the counter, right before he leaned forward and swiped a Granny Smith up from the fruit bowl. "All I'm going to say is this," he declared, "there's a whole world going on around you and Josh made a pretty good move with taking your camera away for the night. You need to pull your attention away from the lens long enough to realize that there's plenty of other things for us to do while we're young. At this rate, you're going to wind up being the photographer at your own wedding."

"What's so bad about that?" I asked, smirking. "It'll help save money."

"You're ruining the good point I'm trying to make, dude." Scott shook his head, miserably failing to keep a straight face. "Josh may be annoying on a regular basis, but like me, he's full of some pretty awesome and crafty ideas. Just wait. As soon as this night comes to an end, you'll claim it as one of the _greatest_ nights in your _entire_ life." He then took a bite out of the apple and chewed between words. "You'll see."

"I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear that whole 'me being annoying on a regular basis' part." Josh snickered. He was still tapping his chin and peering through the cupboard, now knelt down on one knee. "Scott, do you know where Mom put the champagne?"

"Check the lowest shelf. Behind the punch bowl."

The eldest Washington obeyed and carefully pushed the large, crystalline bowl aside. Behind it, there were about five bottles of champagne placed closely together.

"Ah-ha! Bingo." Josh proclaimed as he grabbed one of the bottles and stood back up. Then, after picking out two long-stemmed glasses from the middle shelf, he nudged the cupboard shut with his foot and walked back over to the island. "All right, Scarface. Here you go. I can already tell that you and Sammy will enjoy it." Josh reached across the counter and placed the champagne down in front of me, followed by the crystal wine glasses.

"Thanks, Josh."

Just then, the sound of the door flying open swept through the kitchen. At first, I thought that it was Sam coming to get me; but when I turned to see, I realized that it was actually Chris. He was holding a medium-sized box in his hands and his back was resting flat against the door, indicating that he had backed up into it in order to get in.

"Shit, this thing weighs a ton..." Chris muttered as he strolled in, his arms straining slightly. Then, he said in a much more audible tone, "All right. I got the stuff that Lucas brought."

"Awesome, Cochise!" Josh whooped. He met his best bud about halfway and took the box from him, placing it down on the counter beside Scott. "I knew that we could count on him to bring some Jeremiah Cragg! This shit is the _best!_ "

"If it wasn't a party before, it sure as hell will be one now." Chris confirmed, rubbing his bicep.

Josh grabbed a knife from the nearby holder and carefully sliced it across the tape, unsealing the box. After that, he sat the knife aside, opened the flaps, and began to happily unpack the _many_ bottles of Jeremiah Cragg. At the same time, Chris just so happened to glance over at me and, for the first time, notice my new attire. In the blink of an eye, his lips molded into a humorous smile and I could just picture a lightbulb flicking on over his head.

"Hey, how come nobody told me that we were gonna have a swimsuit competition?" Chris asked. He glanced around the kitchen like he actually was expecting an answer. "If I had known beforehand, I would've packed my speedos."

"Well, there's an image that's gonna haunt me for the rest of my life." Scott huffed and hung his head back so he could be staring up at the ceiling. "Yep, it's official. Thanks a lot, Christopher. I'm going to be having plenty of nightmares tonight."

Chris raised his arm to make it look like he was gesturing to someone up on a balcony, right before he said in his best Shakespearean voice, "What a man calls a nightmare is what a woman calls her very own dream come true." Then, he dropped the pose and continued normally. "And I bet that's _exactly_ what a woman would call it if she saw me in one of those things."

A new smirk found its way across my face. "Or she would call it a major reason to stay single." I said smartly.

Almost instantly, Scott and Josh burst out laughing. The sudden eruption of noise caused Beth to peer over her shoulder with her eyebrows knitted together in confusion; but after noticing that Chris - the joke master of the group - was now in the room with us, the realization dawned on her that we must've been in the middle of goofing around. So, with a playful roll of her eyes and a small giggle, Beth turned back around and allowed herself to be captured by the view of the outside world being bombarded with snow again.

"Oh, man!" Scott exclaimed as his and Josh's laughter finally started to die down. "Russ ... dude, that was pure _genius._ Up top!" He held up one of his hands with an entertained grin still decorating his face and I didn't think twice before giving him a high-five.

Josh looked at Chris and pretended to wipe a tear away from the corner of his eye. "Sorry, Cochise," he apologized, still snickering, "that was just _too good_ not to laugh at."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, wise guys." Chris chuckled and waved his arm through the air, indicating that the joke was over. Then, almost abruptly, his amusement faded away and something - like realization - shot through his eyes. "Oh, Josh, I just remembered: when I went to the garage to get the drinks that Lucas brought, I didn't see any other boxes out there. It was the only one."

"What?" The eldest Washington turned his head and locked his eyes on his brother, now confused. "Scott, I thought that you said that you would pick up some more vodka and red wine on the way up here."

Scott bit down on his bottom lip and kicked his legs back up onto the counter, crossing his ankles. "Well, uh ... that _was_ the original plan, but..." He twirled the bright green apple around in his fingertips, pretending to examine it as a wide smirk broke out across his face. "I sort of ... got distracted. After all, it was _my_ job to pick up Ashley and ... let's just say that the two of us found some time to spare during one of the pit stops ... and then at a few more of the pit stops after that."

"Oh, boy..." Josh said, evidently not knowing what else to say. The vague grin on his face also made it clear that he didn't feel comfortable with hearing about his younger brother's sex life. Of course, if he had been anybody else, Josh wouldn't have hesitated to laugh, clap them on the back, and dig even deeper into the conversation by cracking jokes; but not with Scott.

"Ugh!" I cringed and wrinkled my nose, trying to burn that vivid picture out of my brain. "TMI, dude. Just TMI."

"Sorry." Scott snickered, right before he took a much more satisfied bite out of his apple. "It's just the circle of life."

Just then, I noticed how disappointed Chris looked. He was avoiding eye contact and looking down at the floor, pinning his lips as tightly together as he could to prevent himself from frowning. He actually had the biggest crush on Ashley and everyone in the gang knew that ... except for Scott and Ashley herself. So, listening to his best friend's little brother talk about sleeping with her clearly wasn't something that he would enjoy doing. And nobody was planning to let Scott find out anytime soon. If he knew, only God knows what would happen.

Instead of saying anything, all Chris did was snatch up one of the bottles of Jeremiah Cragg, yank the cork out, and begin downing it like he was in the middle of a chugging competition. At the same time, the door flew open again and this time, I was right about who it was. There Sam stood, now wrapped up in pastel blue towel with goosebumps covering both of her arms and a nearby candle illuminating some of her hair.

"Whoa-ho-ho! Look at _you,_ Sammy!" Josh exclaimed. He smirked and positioned his hands to make it look like he was staring at her through a telescope. "Are you sure you're not keeping it a secret from all of us that you're from Tennessee? Because you're the only ten I see!"

Sam grinned and shook her head in amusement. "Very funny, Josh."

A quiet groan escaped from my throat at the god-awful pickup line and I placed my hands on my hips. A slight glare swept across my face. There were actually two things that annoyed me when it came to Josh. Aside from him trying to convince me from to sleep with Sam, he always found (or even _made_ ) opportunities to flirt with her. Don't get me wrong, I knew that he didn't actually like her anymore than a friend and was only joking. He did the same thing on a regular basis with Chelsea and plenty of other girls. I had no problem with that. In fact, I thought that it was pretty funny ... but not when he did it to _my_ girlfriend.

"Wasn't it?" Josh asked, snickering as he grabbed a bottle of Jeremiah Cragg and slipped his other hand into his pocket.

"No, it was cheesy as hell." Scott replied humorously. "But on the bright side, Josh, I think we found the reason as to why you're currently single. You have _terrible_ pickup lines."

The eldest Washington scowled at him playfully. "Hey, I'd watch my mouth if I were you, little bro." He reached across the island and gently shoved Scott upside the head. "Don't think I won't come over there and show your ass who's boss."

"I'm _not little!_ "

"Sure, Scott. Whatever you say." With a hiccup, Josh ripped the cork out of his bottle, threw his head back, and started taking large gulps. If he and Chris kept chugging like _that,_ they were both going to be drunk off their asses in just a matter of time. No wonder they wanted Lucas to bring that stuff.

"Brrr!" Sam huffed and folded her hands over her mouth, blowing into them. Then, as she started to rub them together as quickly as she could, she flicked her attention back over to me. "Hey, Russell, how about we head down to the Jacuzzi before the two of us become ice sculptures?"

I nodded, gathering the champagne and two crystal glasses in one hand. "Yeah, let's get going." After that, I wrapped my other arm around Sam's shoulders and glanced back at Scott, Chris, and Josh, giving them a look that meant, 'We will see you guys in a bit.'

Chris must've understood, because he raised his hand and waved farewell to us. Knowing him, he would've said something if his mouth hadn't been full of Jeremiah Cragg, causing his cheeks to be puffed out like a chipmunk's. Josh, on the other hand, flashed another sly grin as he stopped drinking long enough to say in a teasing sing-song voice, "All right, you two. Have fun~"

"But not _too much_ fun!" Scott cautioned immediately after, chuckling. "I like that hot tub and I don't want it to end up contaminated!"

" _You guys are **so** lucky that you're my friends._ " At last, with that thought on my mind and a small roll of my eyes, I escorted my girlfriend out of the kitchen.

* * *

 _ **01:38**_

"Do you know which room it's in?" Sam asked, referring to the Jacuzzi with curiosity glowing in her eyes. "There are so many doors to choose from down here. It's like a maze."

The two of us had just finished descending down the staircase that led down to the first floor and we were now standing still, looking from left to right. It took my eyes a moment to adjust, considering there wasn't as much moonlight being provided down here like it was upstairs. Also, it was _much_ draftier and judging by how Sam had just finished tightening her towel around herself a bit more, we didn't have much longer before she would transform into a human Popsicle. It wasn't like I was doing any better, but out of the many things that Sam and I had in common, one of them was this: we refused to complain unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Yeah, I know ... Josh said it's in the room to the left of the basement." I recalled. I turned my head and stared at the basement door, closed and embedded in another section of rock that had been built into a wall. Then, I turned myself slightly so I could be staring down the corridor. Sure enough, just a little down from an abandoned table and an unused chair that was still covered in safety plastic, there was the door that Josh must've been talking about. "There it is," I confirmed, "come on, Sam."

We sped-walked across the floor, eager to escape the cold. Though, instead of immediately entering the room, I stepped aside and held the door open for Sam - so she could go in first.

"After you, milady." I said in the cheesiest accent known to man. Not only that, but I crossed my ankles and bowed like a total dork.

Sam snickered. "You've been spending far too much time with Mike and Scott lately." She strolled into the room, the soft sound of her footsteps pitter-patting against the floor.

"Tell me about it." Chuckling along, I straightened myself back up, walked in after her, and shut the door behind me.

Almost instantly, I felt the goosebumps melt away from my skin and the sweet aroma of lavender whisked through the air. It was like a cozy steam room, painted beige with a grey marble floor that was so clean to the point where it cast an upside-down reflection of everything. Two wrought iron racks hung on the wall, supporting perfectly rolled up towels that had fancy _W's_ sewed into the bottom left corners. Aside from that, two crimson pots that contained phony flowers suspended from the ceiling in both of the room's bottom corners. Two wicker sofas, a matching rocking chair, a coffee table, and a shay carpet were also arranged in a social gathering position in the upper left corner of the room. Then, across from all of that, there was the Jacuzzi.

Josh really wasn't kidding when he said that it was the coolest hot tub in all of existence. Just by looking at it, I could tell that the whole gang could fit inside and wade around without ever having to worry about knocking into each other or running out of space. Plus, it had built-in headrests, a slim granite counter that stretched around the entire thing, and two sets of stairs that led up to it. The first staircase was only three steps that hiked up to the platform, while the second staircase had only two steps that were only there to help people climb in to the tub. Each stair also had two old-fashioned lanterns placed on both ends, casting a relaxing and romantic glow around the whole room.

"Holy damn." I muttered under my breath, surprised.

"Wow." Sam drawled shortly after with an impressed smile printed across her face. "Looks pretty neat, huh?"

As she said this, she unwrapped the towel from around her body and tossed it across the back of one of the couches. Now, she stood before me in a well-fitted, solid white, one-piece swimsuit that was decorated in a bunch of tiny red cherries. Also, there were no straps, the bottom half was designed to look more like a pair of shorts, and ruffles were incorporated into the sweetheart neckline. Needless to say, she looked _hot._

"Yeah, it's very cool ... just like Josh described it." I replied, still referring to the room as my lips morphed into a flirty grin. "All we need now is some music."

"I can handle that." Sam assured as she strolled over to the hot tub's built-in counter, placed her phone down on it, and took a minute to scroll through her playlist. Eventually, she selected _Moonlight Sonata_ by Beethoven and glanced over her shoulder at me. Our admiration for classical music was another thing that we had in common. "I think this sounds about right. What about you, Russ?" Sam asked, the look in her eyes giving it away that she already knew my answer.

Though, I still spoke, "It's perfect, Sammy."

"Good." My girlfriend tilted her head a little to the side, just now noticing the champagne and long-stemmed glasses that were in my hand. "What's that you got there?"

"Oh, you mean this?" I raised the medium-sized bottle up so it could be seen better and carefully waved it around, not wanting to risk accidentally dropping it. "It's just a little gift from the Washingtons ... who wouldn't stop nagging me until I agreed to take some type of alcohol."

Sam crossed her arms over her chest and sauntered back over to me, dragging her feet with every step she took to make it look like she was ice-skating across the floor. "So you chose champagne?" she asked, evidently having no problem with that. Like me, she wasn't a heavy drinker and drank with a limit - so champagne was definitely the best route to take.

"What else?" I asked as I handed one of the glasses over to her. After that, I tore off the shiny gold wrapping that was secured around the top of the bottle and, after recalling the technique that my dad used while doing this every New Years Eve, yanked the cork out with just my fingers. Unfortunately, I must've done something incorrectly, because the cork soared out of my hand and all the way across to the other side of the room at the speed of lightning. Plus, a mild _POP_ echoed through the air and a gush of champagne shot out like a rapid. With a laugh, Sam managed to catch some of it in her glass; but the rest of it rained down and splashed against the marble floor.

"Oh, shit!" I exclaimed, watching as the puddle fizzed like acid right before my eyes. "My bad ... maybe I should've asked Josh for a bottle opener when I had the chance."

"Yeah, that probably would've been a good idea." Sammy retrieved her towel from the couch and placed it down on the floor like she was getting ready to relax on the beach so it would absorb the liquid. "But don't worry about it. This sure as hell doesn't compare to the mess that's upstairs."

"Well, you know the Washington's. When they're having a party, they mean business." I tilted the bottle and began to pour the champagne into my girlfriend's glass, right before I dug my incredibly corny accent back out and insisted, "Ladies first, madame."

Sam chuckled again. "Oh, what a gentleman."

By the time the glass was half-full, I stopped and started to pour my own glass. Even with the sound of the water rippling in the Jacuzzi from the jets, I could still hear the beverage fizzing. Then, when I finished, I sat the bottle down on the counter beside Sammy's phone.

"And what is it exactly that we'll be toasting to?" Sam asked as she wiped a runaway drop of champagne away from the side of her glass with her finger.

"Hmm..." I hesitated for about five seconds before a wide smile broke out across my face. "How about a toast to this weekend with all of our friends? May it turn out to be one of the best trips to look back on in each of our lives."

"I like the sound of that." Sam said, grinning back. She raised her champagne up in the air. "To this weekend."

I followed her example and repeated, "To this weekend." Then, we clinked our glasses together and started to drink. The tiny bubbles tickled the inside of my mouth and washed down my throat like a waterfall, leaving the insanely sweet and crisp taste behind on my tongue. I swear, it was like tasting a piece of heaven.

"Mmm." Sam purred, finishing her champagne around the same time as I did mine. "Delicious."

I winked at her. " _Dom Perignon_ is definitely one of the best kinds of champagne out there."

My girlfriend handed her glass back over to me. "You've had some before?" she asked, sounding both surprised and curious.

"Yeah, but only a couple of times. It's been a while." I sat the crystalware down on the counter. "The last time I had any was back in freshman year when the guys came over to my place for a guys-only party."

Sam snorted and hunched over, placing her hands on her knees in amusement. Then, after a moment, she straightened herself back up and said, "Oh my God. You do realize that no matter how many times you refer to it as a 'guys-only party', it won't change the fact that it was really a sleepover, right?"

I couldn't resist letting out a mere snicker. "Oh, shut up." I said, shoving her arm playfully.

Sammy continued to cutely snicker, right before she wrapped her arms around my neck and placed her lips against mine in a long, gentle kiss. Believe it or not, the two of us were hardly ever romantic. When you're involved with a group of friends like ours, it's _very_ difficult to do anything that involved romance without getting teased or bombarded with embarrassing questions. Sam and I might've held hands and flirted in front of the others, but kissing was something we usually did in private. And yet, we _still_ had to deal with so many sex jokes.

I almost instantly melted into the kiss, feeling an intense blush tingle across my cheeks at the wonderful feeling. God, I loved her. However, just as I started to reach my hand up to caress her cheek, Sam took a hold of it and broke apart from me with a playful smirk. She backed away, tracing her fingertips across the palm of my hand before she twirled around on her heels and scampered up onto the hot tub's platform.

I chuckled, placing my hands on my hips. "You're cruel, you know that?"

"And what's so wrong with that?" Sam asked as she froze in her tracks and looked back at me, still acting completely nonchalant. "Cruel or not, you still love me."

"I never said I didn't."

Sam walked up the next set of stairs and treated the edge of the Jacuzzi like it was a hurdle, jumping in. As soon as her skin came in contact with the foamy water, she released a blissful sigh. Then, after wading across to the other side, she took a seat at the upper right corner and laid her head back against the headrest. The water completely submerged her, leaving out only her shoulders, neck, and head.

"What are you waiting for, Romeo?" Sam asked, still smiling. "You planning on getting in anytime soon?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming." I pulled my flannel off and tossed it over to the sofa, leaving me in just the dark green pair of swimming trunks. "How's the water?"

"You'll have to figure that out for yourself."

I playfully rolled my eyes and walked up the platform, listening to the gentle melody of _Moonlight Sonata_ as it continued to whisk through the air. Then, after I stepped up onto the first stair of the second staircase, I dipped my hand into the water to test it. It was unbelievably warm and very pleasant to the touch, pulsating through my fingers from a nearby jet. Finally, after pulling my hand back out, I climbed in without even needing the second stair and the sweet scent of lavender grew stronger. It must've been coming from the foam.

"Damn, this is _amazing._ " I said, noticing how perfectly sleek the floor felt against my feet as I strolled through the water. "I wish my family was as loaded as the Washington's. My old man won't even let me get a new camera until next Christmas. Until then, I'm stuck using my phone and the camera assigned to me from campus."

"Well, to be fair," Sam noted, "you _do_ have four younger sisters who need to make it to college someday, too."

I took a seat beside her and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. "I know, but still." Humor suddenly invaded my voice. "You think I can convince Mr. and Mrs. Washington to take one of them? I'm pretty sure that Josh and Scott would just _love_ to have another little sister."

Sammy chuckled and playfully elbowed me in the ribs. "Come on, Russell. I've met your sisters and they're not _that_ bad. You should be happy that you have such a big family."

"No, _you_ should be happy that you're an only child." I retaliated. "Trust me, they act _completely_ different when it's just me around."

"Well, we don't have to worry about them right now. Right now, it's just you and me ... and with a group of _amazing_ friends like ours, we better savor this moment while we can." Sam scooted a little closer to my side and smiled. "So, what do you want to do?"

Just like that, my eyes lit up and a coy smirk tore widely across my face. "Wanna make out?" I asked.

Sam didn't think twice before pulling me into a very passionate kiss.

* * *

 ** _01:53_**

After about fifteen minutes of going back and forth from making out to taking turns drinking out of the champagne bottle, Sam and I decided to wrap up our time in the hot tub. We both had been warmed up and agreed that it was time to reunite with the rest of the gang. So, after drying off and getting our winter clothes back on (without looking at each other), we exited the room side-by-side with my arm tangled around her waist and blissful grins decorating our faces.

"You know something, Sammy?" I said as the two of us began scaling up the flight of stairs, taking our sweet time with every step. "I think it's safe to say that the time we spent in there was, by far, the most fun I've had on this _entire_ trip."

My girlfriend snickered. "Oh, really?" Judging by the teasing note in her voice, it was obvious that she thought that I was, once again, being corny.

I halted in the direct center of the staircase and turned to stare at her saucily. "Yes, really." I confirmed with a wink, right before I unwrapped my arm from around her and took a hold of her hand. Then, with our fingers interlocking and palms generating heat against each other, I spun her around like a ballerina and pulled her in against my chest so I could take a moment to just rest my chin on top of her head. Now, her cheeks were tinted with a bright shade of pink and both of us were chuckling.

"Well, we still have tomorrow." Sam reminded. She pecked me on the cheek and continued up the stairs, still holding my hand. "Plenty of more memories to make."

I traced my thumb across her knuckles and popped the 'p' as I said, "Yep."

Although, as soon as we made it back up to the second floor, it came to our attention that nobody was in the living room anymore. There was still a fire crackling in the fireplace, moonlight pouring in through the icy windows, and trash scattered all over the place; but not a soul was in sight. Plus, to make the setting even more creepy, the blizzard had gotten _worse_ \- if that was even possible. In the blink of an eye, Sammy and I grew confused, no longer smiling.

"What the hell?" Sam battered her eyes, scanning every possible inch of the room. "Where is everybody?"

"Uh..." I drawled, also unable to spot anyone. "I'm not sure ... they were all here when we went downstairs."

"Do you think they decided to call it a night?"

"No way, not possible. It's not even two yet." I noticed the deep creases in both of the couches and pursed my lips in thought. "Hmm ... wherever they are, they must've gotten up and left just recently. Maybe we should check the kitchen."

Sam nodded, looking just as curious as I did. "Yeah, all right."

We strolled over to the kitchen doors and sure enough, when we entered, we found where a majority of the gang had disappeared to. Matt, Ashley, Lucas, and Hannah were still MIA, but everyone else was there. Emily, Ethan, Jess, and Mike were standing in a circle beside the island. I didn't have the slightest clue what they were up to, but Emily was wearing a mischievous smile, Jessica was having a very hard time containing her giggles, and Ethan was in the middle of scribbling something down on a piece of paper. He was perfectly balanced in the tree position and using his knee as a surface as he wrote.

Sam released my hand and stepped in between Emily and Ethan, looking the most confused I've ever seen her before. "Hey," she said, "what's going on here?"

Ethan just barely peeked up at her with excitement bursting in his eyes like fireworks. Though, he remained silent and continued to work on whatever it was that he was writing. Jess, on the other hand, glanced over her shoulder at Beth - who was _still_ looking out the window, completely oblivious to everything that was going on behind her. Then, after confirming that she wasn't watching, Jessica turned back to Sam and began going into a long explanation; but I didn't bother sticking around to listen. My attention had been grabbed my something else, so I snaked past Jess and Mike to get to it.

At the opposite end of the island, Josh and Chris were lying across the countertop like two dead fish, passed out cold. They were both snoring quietly and surrounded by dozens of plastic cups, along with _many_ bottles of Jeremiah Cragg that had been sucked dry. In fact, Chris was still holding a slightly crushed cup in one hand and a half-empty bottle of the heavy liquor was lying underneath his other. I stood beside the chair that Josh was sitting in, which was where Scott had been lounging earlier, and placed my hands on my hips.

"Well, it looks like the two of you spent your time productively." I grumbled sardonically, flicking my eyes back and forth between my two wasted buddies. Then, with a small huff, I stretched my arms across the counter and easily pried the two items out of Chris's hands. "I think you've had enough alcohol for tonight, Cochise."

He groaned slightly, but didn't even stir from his slumber.

I sat the bottle and cup aside, right before I turned around and noticed that Scott was standing at the far other end of the kitchen. He was leaning over the back of the leather sofa that was in front of the second fireplace, doing something that I couldn't see. So, I strode over to his side and peered over the couch with him, only to discover that he was covering Chelsea up with a thick wool quilt. She was lying on her side, facing the fire and softly breathing through her wide-open mouth with a few of her curls suspending in front of her face.

"What happened here?" I asked, unable to resist chuckling from how funny I thought she looked. "Don't tell me that she got drunk like Thing One and Thing Two over there."

"Nah, she just got tired and conked out. It's been a long night for her." Scott replied as he finished tucking the blanket around our emerald-eyed friend. Then, as soon as he turned to look at me, his warm grin morphed into a teasing smirk. "So, how was your alone time with Samantha? Did the two of you enjoy the Jacuzzi?"

I crossed my arms over my chest, hesitating for a moment. "I'll admit..." I smiled and peeked up at the ceiling, as if I was questioning what I was about to say, "...it turned out to be a lot more fun than I thought it would in the first place."

"Now _that's_ what I like to hear! It's good to know that you're finally starting to let yourself off the leash." Scott remarked, giving me a playful slap on the side of my shoulder. "Make sure that you tell me _everything_ that happened between you and Sam in the morning. As of now..." He grabbed a black garbage bag from where it was slung over his shoulder and opened it up like a parachute, "...I _really_ need to get a head-start on picking up all of the trash in the living room so it'll be less of a mess to deal with by the end of this weekend."

"All right, Scott." I saluted him with two fingers, just like Mike had done to me over an hour ago. "Have fun with that."

"Oh, I will." My best friend snickered at his own sarcasm and bumped his knuckles against mine, right before he started his way out of the kitchen. Although, just as he was about to pass by the circle ... I noticed Ethan quickly sneak the sheet of paper that he'd been writing on previously behind his back. Then, as soon as the door closed behind Scott from his departure, the chocolate-haired lad brought the piece of paper back out in front of him and held it out to Jess. She immediately took it from him, but made sure to avoid touching his hand while doing so.

"What the..." I muttered under my breath, trying to make sense of what I had just witnessed. "What are they doing over there?"

Jessica flashed a sneaky grin and backed up, placing the piece of paper neatly down on the counter. At the same time, I hurried over as nonchalantly as possible and saw a look of pure worry now masking Sam's face as I helped myself to the space that was between her and Emily.

"Oh my God!" Emily exclaimed in a whisper when Jess turned back around. "I can't believe you _actually_ did this!"

The blonde with short pigtails quickly shushed her, causing me to raise an eyebrow in dead confusion. Then, to make this whole thing even more unclear for me, she took another small glance back to make sure for the second time that Beth hadn't been alerted.

"Don't you guys think this is a little bit cruel?" Sam asked, blinking nervously.

"Oh, come on. She deserves it." Jess rebuked.

Just like that, my girlfriend's voice grew much more defensive. "It is _not_ her fault that she has a huge crush on Mike-"

" _This is about Hannah?_ " Now, I knew exactly who they were talking about. Ever since middle school, Hannah has possessed such an obsession with Mike that it made Chris's crush on Ashley seem microscopic; but there was still so much that I didn't understand about what was going on right now.

"'Huge' is an understatement." Ethan interjected with his hands now folded upright, completing the tree pose. "Whenever she's in his presence, her aura shines brighter than the sun."

Emily rolled her eyes at that statement, while Jessica completely ignored it and continued talking like Ethan hadn't said a word.

"Hannah's been making moves on him. I'm just looking out for my girl Em." She pointed at the Asian, right before she spun around and strut out of the kitchen with her boots clicking against the stone floor.

Emily quickly followed her into the living room with Ethan and Mike in hot pursuit. Although, Sammy and I were much more reluctant. We remained where we were like our feet were nailed to the floor and exchanged glances. She still looked totally uneasy and by this point, I was overflowing with confusion. Unfortunately, before I could open my mouth to ask her what was going on, Sam took off after the others like the devil had suddenly burst into the room. I immediately followed, noticing on my way out that Matt and Ashley had suddenly appeared beside the door.

Scott was too caught up in cleaning up all of the garbage to even notice the group piling out of the kitchen.

"Just because he's class Prez doesn't mean he belongs to everyone. Mike is _my_ man." Emily declared, looking back at her boyfriend with a seductive glint in her eyes.

"Hey, Em." Mike said, just as Ethan skipped further ahead and strolled down one of the corridors with a swag in each step. "I'm not _anybody's_ man."

The Asian instantly snorted and said in a sing-song voice, "Whatever you say, Darling~"

I froze in my tracks beside a pillar and smacked my arms down at my sides, watching as Sam started hiking up the stairs. Then, I gazed over at Mike, Emily, and Jessica, realizing that they were heading down the same hallway that Ethan had already vanished down.

"What the hell is going on in this lodge tonight?" I asked myself, making sure to keep my voice low enough so nobody would hear me.

I had to make a decision on where to go.

* * *

 ** _X Follow Sam/Follow Group X_**

 ** _Choice Chosen: Follow Sam_**

* * *

" _Wait for me, Sammy._ " I made a move to approach the staircase, but before I could even manage taking my second step, somebody grab my arm. With no hesitation, I turned my head and saw that it was Matt. He and Ashley were the caboose of the group, wearing smiles that were equally giddy. Something definitely wasn't adding up here. Everyone, except for Sam, seemed to have been on board with whatever it was that was going on here. And I knew nothing about it except for the fact that it involved Hannah.

"Hey, Russell, where are you going?" Matt asked as he began leading me away from the stairs and down the corridor with the others. "Come on, the fun's this way."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I pulled my arm out of his grip and narrowed my eyes inquisitively. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see." Ashley promised. She scampered ahead with chuckles slipping out of her mouth. "Now hurry up! It's almost time!"

" _Almost time for **what?**_ " I pursed my lips, feeling my curiosity starting to overpower me for the millionth time tonight. If no one was gonna answer my questions, then this was the only way left for me to figure out what these guys were up to. So, I reluctantly agreed to follow Matt and Ashley down the hall. As I did, I heard the sound of Sam's voice calling out Hannah's name from somewhere up on the third floor.

* * *

 ** _01:58_**

Just as I thought that I couldn't get anymore confused, I was proven wrong when I ended up in one of the guestrooms. As soon as I walked in, I witnessed Ashley quickly trot over to a partition that was on the other side of the room and dunk behind it, giggling like that was suddenly all she knew how to do. At the same time, Matt climbed into the wardrobe with - was that a selfie stick? - being held in his hand. As for Ethan, he was already crouched down behind the rocking chair and peeking out with such a huge smirk on his face that I could've sworn his cheeks were seconds away from splitting. Not trying to sound offence or anything, but if I didn't know him, I would've definitely mistaken him for a squatter by now.

"Guys, you have to make sure that you stay quiet!" Mike cautioned as he watched Emily and Jess, who also couldn't stop giggling to save their lives, get down on their stomachs and shimmy underneath the bed as fast as they could. Then, Mike turned his attention over in my direction and noticed that I hadn't moved an inch from where I was still standing in front of the door. He held his hands out at his sides in uncertainty and said, "What are you waiting for, Scarface?"

"Mike, what in the heck is going on in here?" I asked, avoiding his question. I walked to the center of the room and stood before him. "Why is everyone hiding?"

Mike grinned. "You'll see, man."

"No." I raised my eyebrows in dead seriousness, sick of receiving that answer. "I want to know right now. Sam looked pretty worried back in the kitchen and even though Hannah doesn't exactly see eye-to-eye with me, that doesn't change the fact that I really do care about her. She's my best friend's little sister and I consider her as a friend of mine. So, I deserve to know what this whole thing is about. You're not trying to scare her, are you?"

"Whoa, man. Relax." Mike said, making it sound like I had just got done screaming in his face. "We're not going to scare her. We're just going to have some harmless fun. No need to get all worked up about it, okay? There's absolutely nothing to worry about. I'll be handling everything myself and all you have to do is stay out of sight with the others."

It was obvious that he wasn't telling me the whole story, but I didn't have the slightest clue as to why. When it came to the gang, I was usually the last person who had secrets kept from them.

"But-"

Ashley interrupted me, climbing out from her hiding place. "Come on, Russell," she said as she fast-walked over to me and looped her arm around mine, "you heard Mike. We have to hide."

"All right, all right." I gave in with a roll of my eyes, finding it very difficult to believe that I had become _this_ desperate to get to the bottom of this. "I'll hide."

After pulling me across the room, Ashley grabbed the edge of the partition and stretched it further out to provide a wider hiding space. At the same time, Mike crossed his arms and looked at the clock with a mixture of satisfaction and excitement glimmering in his pale brown orbs. It had just struck two A.M. ... and as I knelt down behind the partition like I was getting ready to say a prayer with my best friend's girlfriend, I could've sworn that I detected the sound of footsteps coming from the hallway.

Was that Sammy coming to find us? I closed one of my eyes and treated one of the slim openings of the partition like a peephole, peeking out.

"Opp ... she's here!" Emily whispered, just as Mike finished giving himself a quick hair check. "Shh ... shh..."

"Oh, this is gonna be _great._ " Ethan snickered, sinking himself deeper into the shadows that was behind the rocking chair. The two bitches under the bed instantly shushed him, causing him to roll his eyes. Though, his excitement didn't falter the tiniest bit.

"Mike?" A sweet and gentle voice suddenly called out from the hall, causing every muscle in my body to grow stiff. That wasn't Sam ... it was Hannah ... and I don't know why, but hearing her voice at that moment made me feel very uncomfortable.

" _What the hell am I doing?_ _I shouldn't be hiding in here. I should be with Sam._ " I thought to myself as I bit down on my bottom lip, feeling my uneasiness grow stronger and mix with my curiosity. Not a great combination, by the way. " _Whatever these guys are up to, it feels wrong ... but ... maybe there's a chance that I'm just being paranoid. According to Mike, this is just some harmless fun and we're all friends here. They wouldn't actually do anything to **hurt** Hannah ... would they?_ "

Just then, the door cracked open and Hannah entered the room, holding a candlestick.

"Mike?" She closed the door quickly behind her and turned around, looking like a lovesick puppy. "It's Hannah."

Mike took a step forward and greeted her, "Hey, Hannah."

* * *

 **Beth's POV**

 ** _WASHINGTON LODGE KITCHEN_**

 ** _02:00_**

There was something - or _somebody_ \- outside. Even through all of the snow, I could just barely make out the shape of a figure standing further back in the yard. It almost looked like they were staring directly through the shutters at me and watching my every move; but before I could try getting a better view of them, the dark figure turned away and quickly marched off into the woods. There was no way in hell that I had just imagined that.

"Hey ... did you see that?" I asked, taking a quick peek over my shoulder before I glanced out the window again. "Dad said it would just be us this weekend." When I didn't get a response from anyone, I spun around and realized that I was now the only conscious one in the kitchen. "Josh?"

He and Chris were knocked out on the counter, snoring up a storm. At first, I thought that they had just fallen asleep in one of the worst places possible; but when I approached the island and walked around to the other side, I noticed an empty bottle resting beside Josh. I picked it up and turned it around, exposing the label that read Jeremiah Cragg.

"Jeez, Josh..." My lips twirled into a humorous smile and I sat the bottle back down, smacking my brother's arm. "Once again, brother, you've outdone us all." I shook him a little at my final word, but all he did was groan and remain in his drunk coma.

Just then, I was caught off guard when I heard a new voice say, "Actually, that bottle was mine."

A startled gasp pounced out of my throat and I jerked myself around so fast that I was surprised that I didn't receive whiplash. My eyes immediately landed on Lucas, who was now standing at the far opposite end of the island. He was dressed in a close-fitted, light grey sweater that was covered in dark blue stripes. There was only one stripe - the one across his chest - that was different. It was red. Also, aside from his teal sneakers and ordinary pair of jeans, he had a phony shark tooth necklace hanging around his neck and a pale brown beanie placed atop his head.

I swear, he had the palest skin that I've ever seen before in my entire life. It was accompanied by a small group of freckles that were scattered across his nose, a bold pair of electric blue eyes, and mid-length hair that was the color of cinnamon. I'll admit, he was pretty attractive ... but he was also _very_ cunning. He could literally sneak around, whether he realized he was doing it or not, and avoid getting caught ninety-nine percent of the time.

"Oh, Lucas. It's only you." I placed my hand over my heart, relieved. "You scared me."

"Yeah, I noticed. Sorry about that." His voice was perfectly nonchalant, making it obvious that he's been told the same thing plenty of times in the past.

"It's fine, don't worry about it." I huffed and dropped my arm back down to my side, feeling my heart finally starting to go back to its original pace. "Where have you been lately? I haven't seen you around for almost half an hour now."

"I've been in the bathroom." Lucas groaned, suddenly sounding annoyed and vaguely ill. Until now, I had failed to notice the pale shade of green that was smeared across his cheeks. "Here's a tip for you, Beth..." He raised a fist up to his mouth to smother a cough, "...never, and I repeat _never,_ chug a whole bottle of Jeremiah Cragg after eating a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato. It's definitely not..." A gag interrupted him that time,"...a good combination."

I crinkled my nose in disgust.

"Ugh ... I need a cancer stick to get this god-awful taste out of my mouth." Lucas grumbled. He shoved a section of his bangs out of his face, right before he jammed his hand into his pocket and pulled out a loose cigarette. According to Ashley, who just so happened to be Lucas's cousin, he's been smoking for about a month now; and nobody in the gang knew the reason behind why he started. "Do you have a lighter that I can borrow?" Lucas asked, staring at me with a hopeful glow in his eyes.

"Um, yeah ... sure." I answered, still trying to burn that gross mental picture of him vomiting out of my brain. "I think my dad has one in here somewhere. Just check the drawers."

"All right, thanks."

Lucas took an audible step across the floor, getting ready to begin his scavenger hunt; but then, he froze and turned his attention over to the counter. Something had grabbed his attention, causing him to absently slip the cigarette back into his pocket.

"What the..." Lucas muttered under his breath as he picked the item up. It was a piece of paper - a note, to be exact. Then, after a moment, he gazed back down the island and said with his eyes narrowed in confusion, "Hey, Beth, what's this?"

I cocked my head a little to the side, looking just as lost as he did. "I'm - I'm not sure ... I've never seen that before."

"Well, this looks like Ethan's handwriting." Lucas noted. His eyebrows knitted together in deep thought and he ran his finger across the note, making it obvious that he was reading it; but then, his eyes widened and this vicious scowl crossed over his face, making a chill automatically run down my spine. "Shit..." His voice dropped to a whisper - a very pissed off whisper. "Shit, shit, shit!" After that, he threw the letter back down on the counter and whisked around on his heels, taking off at the speed of lightning.

"Hey! Lucas! Wait!" I raced to the middle of the island, calling out to him. "What's the matter? Lucas!"

He didn't respond, bolting out of the kitchen like he was being chased by a monster. Though, on his way out, he ended up bumping into Scott, who just so happened to be entering the room at that exact moment. Scott's back rammed against the door and he quickly grabbed the knob to prevent himself from falling; but instead of stopping to apologize or to express any sort of concern, Lucas kept running like nothing had happened.

"Whoa, Luke! Where's the fire?" Scott asked. He watched our cinnamon-haired friend run away and then turned to look at me with concern glowing in his eyes. "What was _that_ about?"

"I honestly have no idea." I replied, walking the rest of the way down the long counter. Then, I grabbed the letter and held it up, showing it to Scott as I explained, "He just saw this and freaked out."

"What? ... Let me see that." Scott sat the plump trash bag that he'd been holding aside and snatched the note out of my hand to examine it. A spark of confusion shot through his voice. "This ... this is a letter addressed to Hannah."

I placed my hands on my hips. "What's it say?"

Scott readjusted his glasses slightly and began scanning his eyes across the words, reading them out loud.

 _ **Hannah,**_

 _ **You look so damn hot in that shirt ... but I bet you're even hotter out of it.**_

 _ **Come to the guest room at 2:00 A.M. ;)**_

 _ **Mike**_

 _ **XXX**_

Scott's eyes immediately widened and he didn't think twice before doing a double-take of the letter. After finishing it the second time, he shot hateful daggers at the piece of paper and started grinding his teeth protectively.

"Oh my God." I grimaced, recalling what Lucas had said about all of that being in Ethan's handwriting. "What did our naive sister get herself into now?"

"I don't know." Scott said as he placed the note back down on the counter and then turned to face me. "But we're gonna find out."

"Ugh." I groaned, shook my head, and glanced back at Josh, who was still past out. "Intervention time."

* * *

 **Mike's POV**

 _ **WASHINGTON LODGE GUEST ROOM**_

 ** _02:01_**

"I got your note." Hannah said, nervously shifting her weight from one leg to the other.

In all honesty, I couldn't blame her for doing that. I was dating Emily, who wasn't exactly the most easy-going or charitable person on the planet. She _hated_ it when I socialized with other girls - even the ones who have been close friends of mine since early childhood. There was even this one time she caught Sara Turner talking to me between classes and decided to "get even" with her by spreading a rumor around the whole school that Sara had a threesome with two teachers. Then, to make the "payback" even more hard-hitting, she said the following week that Sara had received an STD. Long story short: I never saw Sara's face again ... and all she did was congratulate me for becoming Class President.

So, if this was going to work, I was gonna have to prevent Hannah from getting scared so she wouldn't run off.

"Glad you could make it." I said with a serene smile.

A shy grin crossed over Hannah's face and she looked down, tugging lightly (and suggestively) at the bottom of her blouse. Then, when she lifted her head again, I noticed the excited sparkle in her eyes and the faint blush that was dusted across her cheeks. Don't get me wrong, I thought that she was a fairly cute girl; but I had no true romantic interest in her. The two of us were nothing more than acquaintances, which was what we would always be.

"Maybe we should start with a little, you know," I gave a coy shrug, "making out ... and see where it goes from there."

Hannah didn't say anything back. For a brief moment, she just stood there by the candlelight and stared at me, blushing. But then, thing's got _really_ interesting when she reached up and started to fiddle around with the buttons on her blouse.

My eyes lit up and I raised my eyebrows, intrigued. "Ohhhhhh ... hell yeah." I whispered low enough so Emily wouldn't hear and watched as Hannah undid the first few buttons. I was starting to see a lot more skin - skin that I could tell Hannah was too shy to show off to anybody else.

Unfortunately, just as I thought that I was about to get a steamy sneak peek of her cleavage, a familiar voice spoke up "a little" too loudly.

"Oh my God! She's taking her shirt off!"

" _Dammit, Jessica!_ " I mentally screamed and sent a small scowl in the direction of the bed. " _Screw you and your big mouth!_ "

"What...?" Hannah squeaked, stumbling back a small step as she leaned over and spotted Emily and Jessica. "Oh my God!"

Knowing that our cover had been blown, everyone came out from their hiding spots. Russell pounced up so fast that he almost knocked the partition over, not even waiting for Ashley to fold it aside. Unlike the others, he was wearing a horrified look that perfectly resembled a deer caught in headlights.

I watched Hannah quickly cross her arms over her chest to prevent her blouse from falling down. The color rushed out of her skin and as soon as I digested just how crushed she looked, I felt a strong wave of guilt come crashing down on me. Shit, why did I agree to do this?!

"Matt?!" Hannah asked, making it known that she had seen the jock behind me with the video camera. "Ethan?! ... R-Russell?!"

For some reason, her voice cracked slightly when she said Russell's name. Tears were threatening to spill down her face as she looked around at the rest of the group and blurted out, "What are you doing here?!"

I looked down at the floor in regret, just as the door flew open. Lucas and Sam came bounding in, immediately locking their attention on the distressed Washington.

"Oh my God, Hannah..." Lucas said, panting slightly as he spoke. His cheeks were bright red, giving it away that he'd been sprinting to get here, and his eyes were soft - a clear mixture of guilt and pity.

"Hannah!" Sam exclaimed at the exact same time. She approached her best friend in an attempt to comfort her. "Hannah, hey, honey ... don't..."

"This shouldn't have happened, Hannah..." Russell spoke up, still wearing his wide-eyed deer expression.

"Han, please don't cry." Lucas pleaded. "This is just ... one huge misunderstanding..."

"It's just a-" Sam tried to explain.

"Listen, Hannah, uh..." I cut in, trying to find the right words to say, "this all kinda got out of hand, but..."

"Mike...!" Hannah cried out, looking absolutely humiliated and heartbroken.

I cringed at how betrayed she sounded and opened my mouth to say something else. But before I could get a word out, Hannah had already yanked the door open and took off running out of the room.

"Stupid prank." Sam sighed, clearly upset.

Lucas shot the entire room a venomous stare. "What in the hell were you idiots thinking?!" He spat, making it very hard to believe that his voice had been drowning in sympathy just seconds before. " _How_ could you _do that_ to her?! The last time I checked, we were all supposed to be _friends_ here! For Christ's sake, the only reason Hannah organized this whole thing was so we could get the chance to hang out all together again and how do your dumb asses repay her?! By using her crush for your own twisted games and making her cry!"

"God, Luke, chill your aura. She'll get over it." Ethan said. "After all, it was just a prank."

"Wait, _what?!_ " Russell spun around on his heels and backed up from Ashley and Voodoo Boy, as if they had suddenly become infected with the plague. "W-what did you just say it was?!"

Ethan pursed his lips and pretended to fiddle around with one of his beaded bracelets as he repeated himself, "A prank."

Lucas let out a mere, sarcastic chuckle and shook his head. "Oh, no ... no, no." He said, wagging his finger like he was lecturing a bunch of kindergartners. "You see, putting whipped cream in somebody's hand and tickling their nose with a feather is a prank. _This,_ on the other hand, was downright _bullying_ and _harassment!_ "

"Lucas, _please_ calm down." Ashley said, obviously wanting to defuse the situation. "We didn't mean for her-"

"You know what, Ash?" Lucas interjected. He narrowed his eyes at her in a degrading manner. "You're the _last_ person I want to talk to or hear from right now ... I can't believe _you ..._ my own _cousin ..._ participated in something as stupid as this. You're _Scott's girlfriend,_ for crying out loud!"

A deep frown slipped across Ashley's face. "Luke..."

"Don't bother." Lucas growled, raising his hand before he turned his back on all of us. "I can't believe I actually spend my life with you pricks. I'm ashamed to even know any of you right now."

He stormed out of the room and switched back over to his sympathetic tone as he called out Hannah's name.

Ashley became stock-still, staring at the door in a mixture of hurt, guilt, and shock. "Shit..." She sighed.

Just then, Russell's face hardened into a scowl. "I can't believe you guys!" He bellowed. " _This_ was your idea of a _prank?!_ Oh my God! ... Guys, that was _so_ messed up!"

Jessica scoffed. "Don't even bother trying to play the precious, little, innocent being, Russell." She pointed at him and spoke condescendingly. " _You_ were involved just as much as the rest of us."

"That's complete bullshit and you know it!" Russell snapped, looking like he was seconds away from kicking someone in the balls. "I didn't even know what in the hell I was walking into! And even when I _did_ ask what was going on, the only thing that I was told was to hide!" He then flicked his attention over to me and lowered his voice into a vicious whisper. "But that was just so I wouldn't intervene with this sick plan ... wasn't it?"

I almost winced, feeling the dread in my chest increasing with every passing second. "Russ..." I said in an attempt to lessen the tension.

"No." He cut me off with pure anger in his eyes, shaking his head. "You _knew_ that if I knew the truth behind this whole shenanigan in the first place, I would've stopped it from happening ... so, you _lied_ _to me_ in order to make sure that I would stay out of the way."

Unfortunately, he wasn't wrong.

"Russell, this whole thing..." I tried to explain again, "...it just got out of hand."

"You're damn right it did." Russell snarled, right before he spun around on his heels to face the door and mumbled, "'Just some harmless fun' ... yeah, right ... you're all a bunch of assholes." Then, he threw the door open so fast that it slammed against the wall and bolted out of the room, calling for Hannah.

Ethan bit down on his bottom lip, just now starting to look unsettled.

I sighed. "Uh ... damn!"

Sam turned to look at all of us, evidently pissed from hearing about how we had tricked her boyfriend into joining our group.

"You guys are _jerks._ " She fumed. "You know that?"

After that, instead of sticking around for a response, she hurried out the door to go find Hannah.

* * *

 **Scott's POV**

 _ **WASHINGTON LODGE KITCHEN**_

I didn't know what was going on, but I could tell that something wasn't right. After reading that letter, I got this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. Of course, part of it was probably because I was angered (and also disturbed) by the mental picture of one of my friends wanting to get naked with my sister; but I could feel something inside of me saying that wasn't entirely it. After all, I've seen Mike's signature plenty of times before ... and that wasn't it. So, if he wasn't the one who left the letter for Hannah, then who-

A figure suddenly bolted past the window, causing me to snap out of my thoughts. I just barely had enough time to spot what looked like dark hair and a dark shirt before the figure was no longer in sight. Beth must've seen it too, because she released a small gasp and took a step back from the island. My eyes grew as I thought about the minor details that I had seen, and a nerve-wracking guess on the figure's identity formed in my brain.

"Beth," I said, sounding just as worried as I looked, " _please_ don't tell me that was who I think it was."

Beth answered quickly and honestly. "I-I don't know. I didn't get a good look."

"Well, we can't just stand here! We need to do something. Right now!"

* * *

 _ **X Wake Josh/Find Others X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Wake Josh**_

* * *

With no hesitation, my sister and I dashed over to Josh, ignoring how I almost tripped from how slippery the floor was. Beth stood on one side of him and harshly shook his arm while I stood on the other side, shoving his shoulder just as roughly.

"Josh!" Beth bellowed urgently, but he didn't even stir. "Josh!"

"Come on, man! Wake up!" I exclaimed almost directly into his ear. "It's an emergency! We just saw somebody run past the window! You _have_ to wake up!" I started smacking him on the back and squeezing his bicep as hard as I could. " _Josh!_ " I switched back to rattling his shoulder, but all he did was let out a vague snore and remain in his deep, drunken sleep. "Dammit!" I hissed, giving up. "It's no use. He's going to be out cold like this for God knows how long."

Beth dropped an F-bomb at my statement and ripped her arms away from our brother in defeat.

"Shit ... come on, Beth. Time to change tactics." I said as I started racing towards the door. "We need to find the others and warn them."

My sister didn't think twice before following me, leaving Josh and Chelsea behind for the time being. Trust me, if Chelsea wasn't such a heavy sleeper, I would've tried waking her up; but we didn't have time for that right now.

"Guys!" Beth called out as soon as she and I charged into the living room. "There's someone outside!"

"We just saw them run past the window!" I contributed, only to notice afterwards that nobody was there. I wrinkled my brow in confusion and turned my head, catching a glimpse of the gang hurrying over to the front door, which was now wide open.

"What the hell...?" Beth took the words right out of my mouth and grabbed her fuchsia jacket from where it was lying across the nearby armchair. As we jogged to catch up with the others, she pulled it on and I quickly zipped up my puffer vest, bracing myself for the freezing outdoors. Although, at that moment, I didn't even care that I didn't have shoes on.

"Hannah!" Sam's voice called out as soon as the group finished piling out the door.

I could've sworn that I felt my heart lock up in my chest. My hunch on who that was running outside the window had been confirmed ... and it honestly made me feel like I'd just fallen into my worst nightmare.

"Hannah, come back!" Ethan hollered next. "It's not safe out there with Mother Nature tonight!"

"Oh, shut up, Ethan!" Emily sneered.

Beth and I finally made it outside, shoving our way to the front of the group just in time to spot Hannah disappearing into the woods.

A slight cringe slipped across my face as I felt the snow already starting to leak through my wool socks. It literally felt like dozens of pointy icicles were stabbing repeatedly at my flesh; but instead of going back inside to get some boots, I shoved my discomfort to the far back of my mind and remained focused on the actual situation.

"What's going on?" Beth inquired, turning to look at our friends. "Where's our sister going?"

"Yeah, why is she running out there?" I demanded in a tone that was just as concerned. "What the hell happened?"

Jessica groaned and waved her arm dismissively. "Ugh, it's fine. She just can't take a joke."

"It was just a prank, Han!" Emily called out into the blizzard, her voice haughty.

"Stop calling it that!" Russell ordered, staring bitterly at the Asian. Whatever happened here, I could tell that he hadn't been involved.

"What did you do?!" Beth fumed.

Mike tried to play it cool, shrugging slightly. "We were just messing around, guys. It wasn't serious-"

" _WHAT?!_ " I blurted out so loudly that I could've sworn I made some of the trees shake.

"You JERKS!" Beth yelled immediately after. Then, after glaring at the whole group, she turned away and started sprinting towards the woods. "Hannah! HANNAH!"

"BETH!" I hollered, watching in fear as her figure started to grow hazy right before my eyes from the large puffs of snow. This really _was_ my worst nightmare.

I quickly snapped my attention back over to Mike. It all made sense to me now - that "love letter" had been part of some shitty excuse of a joke and now, both of my sisters were out there in the dark woods during a dangerous snowstorm. That might've not been Mike's handwriting that I saw, but it was pretty obvious that he was the main participant of this so-called "prank." After all, he _knew_ that Hannah had a huge crush on him.

"You are _so_ eff'd up, Munroe!" I bellowed, standing directly in front of him with fury electrocuting through my eyes. "I seriously can't believe this bullshit! I helped you become Class President and _this_ is how you repay me?! By messing with my sister?!" With every word I spoke, my voice grew sharper and my fists started to tremble at my sides from how much I was clenching them. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, just as I did something that I can guarantee _nobody_ saw coming. I threw my fist back and, with as much force as possible, nailed Mike square in the jaw.

Complete shock crossed over the entire group's faces, just as Mike let out a loud holler of pain and stumbled back a couple of steps. It looked like he was about to fall right on his ass, but he managed to regain his footing at the edge of the Welcome mat. Then, when he straightened himself back up, he rested his hand against his jaw and exclaimed at me in utter disbelief, "What the hell, man?!"

"Holy shit!" Ethan yelped at the exact same time.

"Whoa there, Scott!" Matt intervened, trying to speak in the calmest voice possible. "I _really_ think you should calm down."

"No, Mike deserved it!" Lucas barked.

Emily shoved Ashley's cousin in the arm and objected immediately. "Like hell he did!"

I noticed Ashley starting to nervously pick at the edge of her beanie from the corner of my eye; but I didn't have time to deal with her right now. I still needed some time to digest how she - of all people in the gang - had participated in such a god-awful "prank" on my sister.

I kept my ferocious scowl locked on Mike and refused to acknowledge the others. "You're out of here ... I never want to see your ass around either of my sisters or this place ever again, you hear me?!" I began to take large steps backwards, snarling like a junkyard dog. "By the time I get back, you better have your bags packed because I want you _gone!_ I don't care where you go, but you sure as hell won't be staying here for the rest of the weekend, Munroe! Congratulations on being a douche and ruining the party!"

"Scott, dude-" Mike attempted to speak, still holding his jaw; but I didn't stick around to listen.

"BETH!" I whipped around and bolted as fast as I could - which was pretty damn fast - in the direction of the woods. "BETH, WAIT FOR ME!"

"SCOTT, NO!" Ashley's voice called out after me, drenched in horror. "IT'S TOO DANGEROUS OUT THERE!"

"COME BACK, SCOTT!" Russell hollered next, sounding just as terrified as my girlfriend. "YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE SHOES ON!"

Nonetheless, I kept running and refused to look back.

* * *

 **Beth's POV**

 _ **BLACKWOOD FOREST**_

Scott - being the star athlete that he was - caught up with me pretty quickly. Now, we were trampling through the woods together, jumping over fallen logs, dodging rocks, and smacking tree branches out of our way. The wind wailed like a ferocious beast, stinging our faces, and the snow crunched loudly beneath our feet as we raced down an upcoming curve in the path. Then, as soon as the two of us leaped over a log that had been almost completely camouflaged by the snow, we arrived at a wooden platform that had a rickety set of stairs connected at its side.

"Oh, shit!" Scott cursed. He skidded to a halt right in the center of the platform and shot his arm out in front of me, making sure that I stopped along with him. "Be careful on this thing, Beth. It doesn't look like its been brought up to code in quite a while."

"Hannah's been here." I said, drawing in slightly deeper breaths than usual. "I can feel it."

"Yeah, so can I." My brother turned to look at me, the concern in his pale green eyes immediately increasing. "Are you okay?" He placed his hand on my shoulder. "Do you need your inhaler?"

I kept panting, unable to resist rolling my eyes. "Scott, I haven't had an asthma attack ever since we were ten."

"I know, but you know the saying. It's better to be safe than sorry." Scott remarked as he reached into his jeans and, to my surprise, pulled out my old childhood inhaler. " _You_ may leave it behind, but _I_ never do." He pocketed it again, ignoring some of the snowflakes as they splatted against his glasses.

"Well, as much as I appreciate your concern, I'm not the one who is currently distraught and by themselves somewhere in the woods!" I had to raise my voice in order to be heard over the wind, turning my attention back to the view that he and I got from the platform. I cuffed my hands around my mouth and called out as loudly as I could, "HANNAH!" Unfortunately, there was no response, causing me to mumble a quick F-bomb and glance back at my brother. "We need to get down from this stupid thing!" I groaned.

"Which way do you suggest we use?" Scott asked. He was currently flicking his eyes back and forth from the worn-out looking staircase to an open edge of the platform.

* * *

 _ **X Fast/Safe X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Fast**_

* * *

"There's no time for stairs." I replied almost instantly. "We need to find Hannah before the three of us freeze to death out here!"

Scott nodded, "Agreed!" He was the first one to charge over to the edge of the platform, bending his knees to lessen the risk of a hard landing. Then, he dropped and landed gracefully on his feet. I was on his heels in less than a second, squatting down before plopping right next to him on the snowy ground. After that, we started running as fast as our legs could carry us down the next path, only to notice that there was a pair of footprints leading down in the same direction. Breathing hard, Scott and I followed them ... despite how I couldn't help but think that these footprints seemed to be a bit too big to be Hannah's.

Suddenly, there was an intersection. Scott and I jerked to a stop and stood side-by-side, just as the faint sound of twigs being snapped in the distance crept through the air. A few startled crows burst out of the trees that lined the left path and flew away, cawing. The noise came from that way, but the footprints continued down the right path.

* * *

 ** _X Follow Footprints/Follow Noise X_**

 ** _Choice Chosen: Follow Noise_**

* * *

"Scott..." I said, staring at the footprints a little uneasily, "...is it just me or ... do those footprints look a little too big to be from Hannah?"

"Uh..." Scott hesitated for a moment, studying the prints, "...they _are_ pretty large ... but ... maybe Frank just decided to stop by to check on some of the stuff up here or something."

Frank was our family's personal handyman, who often visited the mountain to examine anything that could somehow break down or become damaged. His drop-ins were always random, but he still made sure to call every time so we would know that he was hanging around.

"Without calling to let our parents know?" I asked, voicing my confused thought.

Scott shot an answer back quickly, "Maybe his phone was out or he just forgot!" Then, he grabbed me by my wrist and started pulling me down the left path with him. "This way! That noise could've been from Hannah!"

I still felt unsure about his whole Frank theory, but I kept my mouth shut, pushed the mysterious footprints to the back of my mind, and followed him. However, we were both starting to run low on stamina and had no choice but to resort to jogging. Panting, Scott jumped over a stray branch on the ground and spun back around to see me, considering I had momentarily stopped to take a quick glance around. Hannah was still nowhere in sight and I ended up almost tripping over the same branch; but caught myself right on time and continued down the trail with my brother.

By this point, my face had become achingly numb from how cold the wind was and I could practically hear my heartbeat ringing in my ears. It was safe to assume that Scott was on the same boat. The deeper we got into the woods, the more the temperature dropped and the worse the blizzard got.

"Dammit, Hannah..." I spun around and squinted my eyes in the darkness, still having no luck in finding my sister, "...where are you?"

Scott, much to his dismay, needed a breather. I stopped by his side and patted his back, watching as he leaned over and rested his hands on his knees.

"I swear..." Scott huffed with anger flickering in his eyes, "...with God as my witness ... when we get back to the lodge ... I'm going to strangle those guys, starting with Mike." The venom increased in his voice at the mention of Emily's boyfriend.

"I seriously can't believe they did this." I said, still looking around in every direction possible for Hannah. "I mean, even Ash-"

Scott straightened himself back up and made eye contact with me. "Please..." His anger dissolved, only to be replaced by disappointment, "...don't bring that up. Not right now."

A small, but very sympathetic frown slipped across my lips. I knew how much he loved Ashley. They two of them have been together for three years straight and it was obvious that he was hurt by how she had cooperated in this pathetic "joke."

"Sorry, Scott."

"Don't worry about it." My brother started loping down the trail again with me in hot pursuit. "We can cross that bridge later. As for now, let's find Hannah and get the hell back to the estate."

Shortly after he said that, we stumbled upon another split path and we instantly froze in our tracks. On the right trail, there were footprints that looked a lot smaller than the previous ones implanted in the snow; but on the left, there was this strange looking shadow swaying slightly from a hidden section of the woods. I could've sworn that I caught a glimpse of somebody running down the right path. Scott must've seen it too, because he cuffed his hands around his mouth and called out over the wind, "Han! Hannah, is that you?" As soon as he said that, I noticed the shadow on the other path disappear like it didn't want to be caught.

"S-Scott!" I exclaimed, starting to feel a hell of a lot more unsettled.

"I-I'm sure it was just an animal!" Scott said. He wrapped a protective arm around my shoulders and held me close to his side. "Like a deer or something! I must've spooked it off." Although, the look in his eyes gave it away that even he was starting to have a difficult time believing his own theories.

* * *

 _ **X Follow Shadow/Fallow Footprints X**_

 ** _Choice Chosen: Follow Footprints_**

* * *

Scott studied the footprints for a couple of seconds, right before he started down the right path and exclaimed, "Come on, these footprints look much more like Hannah's!"

I didn't think twice before bolting after him, panting and occasionally glancing back to make sure that whoever or whatever caused that shadow wasn't following us. Then, after dodging a couple of more tree branches, we arrived at the top of _another_ wooden platform. I sighed in exhaustion and knelt down, placing my hand down on the rundown surface before I leaped off and landed delicately on my feet. Scott was right on my tail, deciding to take a seat on the edge of the platform before pushing himself off and striking the ground perfectly beside me.

"Dammit, Beth," he grumbled as he dusted some snow off the back of his pants, "if we don't find Hannah soon, all three of us are gonna end up dying out here from hypothermia."

I narrowed my eyes at the treetops, noticing that the moonlight was starting to decrease. It was getting so much more difficult to see out here and Scott had a major point. So, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone, holding it out in front of me.

"Okay, seriously?" Scott demanded almost instantly. "Is now _really_ the time for a selfie?"

I shot him a slight glare and responded by silently sliding my finger across the screen to unlock my phone. A bright beam of light was immediately elicited from the lens, spreading a good couple of feet across the snow in front of us. My brother straightened his lips, furrowed his brow, and rubbed the back of his neck, giving it away that he felt stupid for accusing me of wanting to do such a dumb thing right now.

"Oh ... that's actually not a bad idea, sis." Scott said, right before he reached into one of the pockets on his puffer vest and pulled out his own cell phone. While turning it on, I was able to catch a peek of his screensaver. It was a picture of him and Ashley sharing a passionate kiss in our mom's garden with one of his arms draped around her and the other extended out at a certain angle to take the shot. Though, it vanished when he swiped his finger across the screen and enabled the vibrant light from his own lens. "Onward we go." Scott huffed, filling the air with a misty cloud that had been formed from his breath.

We continued down the next (and much wider) path, shining our lights in every possible direction.

"Hannah!" I hollered, still unable to spot her anywhere.

"Han!" Scott called out shortly after. He pointed his cell phone in the direction of some large rocks, causing another group of crows to charge out of their hiding spots and fly away. "Han, where are you?"

" _Huh..._ " I thought to myself as we walked through an opening between a few trees. The gate that had been built there long ago looked like it had somehow been broken apart. " _I wonder what the hell caused that..._ " I shined my light on a couple of the damaged fence pieces, but then continued walking like I hadn't noticed them. It was probably just the storm that tore it up.

Suddenly, just as Scott and I approached this skinny tree that sat by itself in the middle of the trail, we were caught off guard when a large elk came bounding out from the treeline. A startled shriek escaped from my mouth and Scott didn't think twice before putting himself in front of me, going into his defensive older brother stance. Luckily, instead of proposing any threats, the elk continued on its way without acknowledging us.

"Shit, that thing almost gave me a heart attack." Scott sneered. "I _hate_ the woods at this hour."

I groaned, "Mom and Dad are _so_ going to kill us for this."

The two of us kept walking and as we approached a slight incline, I couldn't help but feel like we were being watched. "Hello?" I shouted, getting tired of just hearing the screeching wind and the snow crunching underneath our feet, "Hellooo?!"

"Hannah!" Scott hollered. He directed his light towards a couple of more trees while I zig-zagged mine across the ground.

"Um ... Scott?" Out of the blue, my light fell on this strange item that was lying in the snow. I knelt down with my brother by my side and picked it up, realizing that it was a remarkably carved piece of wood that was outlined in black paint. "What the heck is this?" I questioned.

* * *

 _ **Totem Found: Death Totem**_

 _ **Information: Predicts the death of Hannah, Beth, and Scott at the bottom of a cavern.**_

 _ **Note: Remember, not all totems are guaranteed to come true. Depending on what decisions are made will determine the future. Be careful at all times.**_

* * *

Scott squinted, also casting his light over the item. "It ... it looks like a totem." He tilted his head slightly. "You know about those weird rumors about native tribes being up here in the past. Somebody must've left it behind as a gag ... to trick whoever comes up here into believing those crazy stories."

I huffed and placed the totem back down on the ground. "Just as I thought that things couldn't possibly get any creepier out here tonight." I grumbled, standing back up. "Come on, let's go ... that thing is freaky."

We continued on, taking large and brisk steps through the snow as the path curved and continued to incline.

"Huh?" I froze in my tracks, causing my brother to bump into me, and I turned my head at the sound of a loud blaze. Scott must've heard it too, because he immediately turned his light in the same direction as the noise. Through a minor gap among a large group of trees and some rocks, I could've sworn that we caught a glimpse of a bright orange glow lighting up the air - like fire.

"What the shit...?" Scott muttered as he and I started walking again. The trail was finally starting to straighten out, but that didn't do anything to help with our uneasiness. Something _very_ strange was going on in these woods tonight.

"HANNAH!" I hollered, still waving my cell phone around.

Suddenly, as soon as Scott and I passed by a large log that had been knocked down, we were stunned still again. Just to the left of us, a little above some more trees and on some other path, there was a much more distinct blow of what was most definitely _fire._ It soared across the air in a scorching wave and then disappeared, making my heart almost leap up into my throat.

"What the hell was that?" I asked, not knowing whether I sounded more scared or more curious.

"I-I'm not sure." Scott answered with a slight stutter. "But something tells me it's not good. We need to hurry!"

I automatically agreed with him. The two of us picked up the pace, sticking close and using our phones to keep our path illuminated. We stepped over some tangled roots that were just barely peeking out from the snow and pushed some more branches out of our way. Then, as soon as I shoved the final branch aside with Scott at my left side, we noticed a similar figure crouched down on the ground. It was Hannah, who was holding herself like she was trying to give herself a hug with tears already starting to freeze against her cheeks.

"Hannah?" I whispered, watching as she turned to look at me and our brother. "Hannah!"

"Hello?" Hannah whimpered.

Scott let out a deep breath of relief and exclaimed, "Oh, thank Christ!"

"Hannah!" I jogged over to her with Scott right behind me and unzipped my jacket, pulling it off. "Oh my God, you must be freezing!"

Hannah looked away, as if she was too embarrassed (or possibly too ashamed) of herself to look at either of us.

"Here." I wrapped my jacket around her shoulders. "Take my coat."

Almost immediately after I did that, Scott unzipped his dark green puffer vest and said, "And you take this, Beth. I don't want either of you to freeze." He slipped it up my arms and zipped it up for me like Josh used to do for all three of us when we were kids.

"I'm such an idiot!" Hannah cried, standing up with snow now coating her knees and shins. "I'm so dumb..."

"No, you're not." I said as I took a hold of her freezing hands in an attempt to comfort her. "You didn't know what they were up to. It wasn't your fault."

"And I swear, Han," Scott butted in with wrath dancing in his eyes again, "when we get back, each of them are going to get one hell of an earful from me."

Hannah sniffled and looked down again. "S-Scott," she said after a short pause, "you don't even have shoes on!"

Scott cringed slightly and my eyes shot huge.

"What?!" I exclaimed. I shot my attention down to the ground and saw that Hannah was right. The hems of our brother's jeans were soaked from the snow and the only protection that he had on his feet was a pair of wool socks. Which, of course, were completely drenched. I felt dumb for not noticing this as soon as we left the lodge, and judging by how Scott grimaced again, it was obvious that his feet must've been _beyond_ cold.

"Scott, you were out here with me this _entire time_ with _no shoes?!_ " I demanded, evidently worried. "Don't you realize how dangerous that is?!"

"Hey." Scott interjected in a dead serious tone. He flicked his eyes back and forth from me to Hannah. "If I have to get frostbite in order to keep you two safe, I'll do it. That's what brothers are for."

I opened my mouth to say something back; but before I could get a word out, there was the sound of bushes rustling around. Then, after a couple of more twigs snapped, a bone-chilling shriek filled the air. With no hesitation, Hannah, Scott, and I snapped our heads in the direction of the noise and saw ... something ... squatting behind a few trees and staring back at us. Unfortunately, it was too dark to tell what it was ... but it was _very_ skinny and it made my skin crawl.

"Hannah..."

"Beth..."

We both simultaneously turned to Scott, who was still staring at the thing in the forest with large eyes.

"Scott..." I said.

"Girls..." He started backing up with me and Hannah doing the same, terror in each step. Then, after hearing another scary wail from the creature, Scott yelled at the top of his lungs, "RUN!"

The three of us instantly spun around and bolted as fast as we could down the first trail that we saw. Along the way, Hannah was hyperventilating and having a far difficult time with keeping up with me and Scott. Whatever was in the woods, it was coming after us and we _had_ to escape. Scott was a little further ahead of Hannah and I; but after we split apart to avoid running into another slim tree that sat by itself in the middle of the trail, Scott slowed down in order to grab Hannah's hand. He started pulling her along, trying to help her increase her speed while using the light from his cell phone to illuminate our path.

However, when I started racing across a rundown bridge that we had stumbled upon, Hannah ended up tripping. She brought Scott down with her and a loud _CRACK_ echoed through the air from his phone slamming down against the rotted floorboards. The light from the lens immediately malfunctioned and it was evident that the screen had been broken.

"Shit!" Scott groaned from the harsh impact, while Hannah kept crying in fear.

"Hannah!" I exclaimed, immediately skidding to a halt at the other end of the bridge. "Scott!"

I didn't think twice before charging back, using one hand to grab Hannah's arm and the other hand to grab Scott's arm. Then, after hauling them back up onto their feet, the three of us raced across the bridge. Unfortunately, in the process, Scott and I ended up dropping both of our phones and leaving them behind. Now, we only had the moonlight to depend on.

"Stay close!" Scott hollered, just as the sound of another terrifying screech came from somewhere behind us.

I dared myself to look back, still running. It was difficult to see anything through the thick clouds of blowing snow, but I could still feel the eyes of whatever was chasing us watching our every move. It was close.

Suddenly, after a couple of more seconds, our running was put to an end when the three of us realized that we had trapped ourselves at the top of a very steep cliff.

"Oh, Jesus Christ!" Hannah exclaimed, staring at the edge of the cliff in horror.

While turning to face whatever it was that was approaching us, Scott took a large step forward. As he did so, he took one of my hands in his own and one of Hannah's in his other, squeezing them tightly as a protective scowl crossed over his face.

"Get the hell away from us!" Scott bellowed, just as the hazy outline of the thing started to break through the blizzard. "If you want to take me, fine! But you better leave my sisters alone!"

"No!" I cried, starting to panic. I glanced over my shoulder and noticed how horribly close my siblings and I were from the drop-off. "No! Shit! No!" I went on, trying to put on a firm face as I then turned back to the unidentified figure and yelled, "Get back!"

Mine and Hannah's grip on Scott's hands increased as the three of us continued to step back.

"Holy shit..." Scott huffed, just as I dropped an F-bomb. For the first time, we had seen what this thing looked like.

"No!" I wailed again.

Without thinking due to her terror, Hannah took another step that was too far back. She leaned back against the old **Danger** sign, causing it to break in half and send her toppling over the edge. A hair-raising scream fled out of Hannah's mouth as she fell, taking me and Scott with her since none of us expected the fall. Scott and I screamed as well, but I managed to shoot my free arm up and grab a branch that was protruding from the side of the cliff. At the same time, Scott's glasses had fallen off his face and continued to drop the whole way down, disappearing from sight.

I clenched my teeth, feeling my muscles already starting to strain from how I was holding the weight of both of my siblings, as well as my own. All that was below us was a dark abyss, packed with large, pointy rocks and a light blanket of snow that would do shit for us if we fell from _this_ height.

My heart was pounding faster than I've ever felt it pound before and I could hear the sound of Hannah's cries getting even louder. She was furthest below, grasping Scott's other hand and trying her hardest to reach her other arm up so she could have a better chance at hanging on. Unfortunately, Hannah didn't have much upper body strength and could only manage keeping one of her arms stretched out. No matter how many times she tried reaching her other one up, it quivered and dropped back down.

"Hannah! Han!" Scott called out. He was looking down at her, keeping his grip as firm as possible. "Don't look down, all right? Look up at me! I got you, baby sis! I got you!"

Just then, a swarm of flames emerged from above our heads and I could've sworn that Hannah was about to wet herself.

I could feel Scott's hand starting to slip from my own, causing me to look down at him and our sister.

"Hold on!" I begged, still gritting my teeth as I watched Scott look up at me with fear in his eyes. "Hold on!"

By this point, tears were starting to weld up in the corners of my eyes. It wasn't the physical pain that was getting to me - it was the emotional pain. If I couldn't hold on to Scott and Hannah, I was going to lose two of the three greatest siblings that anyone could ever ask for. At the same time, if I couldn't hold on to the branch, all three of us were going to perish and leave Josh all by himself. Why in the hell did the gang have to do chase us out of the estate like this?

" _If it wasn't for that 'prank' of theirs, we wouldn't be in this predicament._ " With that thought ringing in my head, I glanced back up just in time to see another shadowy figure appear at the edge of the drop-off. I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman, but whoever they were, they had what looked like some type of tank placed on their back. They reached their hand down, making Hannah choke back on another terrified squeal. Scott's eyes widened, giving it away that he was on the same boat as her.

I looked down at the two of them again. The tears in my eyes were starting to sting from the wind and my arms felt like they were seconds away from being dislocated. This was definitely the hardest decision that I was going to have to make in my entire life. I sniffled slightly, keeping my attention locked on Scott and Hannah for a couple of more seconds before I glanced back up at the extended hand of the figure.

* * *

 _ **X Drop Hannah & Scott/Let Go X**_

 ** _Choice Chosen: Let Go_**

* * *

There was no way in hell I could bring myself to let go of my siblings. As triplets, we've been through everything together ... and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did such a god-awful thing. So ... that only left one option...

"I'm so sorry, Josh..." I whispered under my breath, nearly choking on my words as a few tears leaked down my cheeks. "... _We're_ so sorry..."

The figure reached their arm out a little further and made an attempt to snatch a hold of my hand ... but I had already released the branch, piercing the air with the bloodcurdling screams of me, Hannah, and Scott as we fell down the cliff.

* * *

 **A/N: This was most definitely thee longest prologue that I've ever written!**

 **I hope you all enjoyed it! Keep in mind, I look forward to feedback and I very much appreciate it. Don't be shy to share your opinions. Feel free to PM them to me or leave them in the reviews. :D :D**

 **I have decided to create a poll on my page. Cast your vote and share with me which of the five new characters is your favorite so far!**

 **Again : Chapters will be lengthy (considering how long the game is) and will require time for me to plan out/work on since I'm juggling schoolwork and other fanfics on the side of this. Nonetheless, never worry about me abandoning this story because _I won't._ It'll just take time, so please understand that and be patient. Thank you. :)**

 **Also, just to clear some things up quickly:**

 **1) _Why did Scott personally attack Mike and none of the others for the prank? -_ As stated in the chapter, Scott was furious with how Mike knew that Hannah had a crush on him and still went along with the prank. Plus, after finding the note that was forged by Ethan, Scott figured out that Mike was the _main_ participant.**

 **2) _Is Ethan a hippie? -_ I can see why that would be assumed, but no. He's just supposed to be _very_ peculiar and different.**

 **Well, I believe I said everything that I wanted to say. Stay tuned for the next chapter and remember to _always_ read carefully. ;)**

 **Thanks, everyone! :D :D :) :)**


	2. Memento Mori

**A/N: Hey, everyone! :) I hope you are all having a wonderful day.**

 **The time has come for the first official chapter of "Return to Blackwood Mountain." :D :D**

 **Nonetheless, before we begin, in case you're wondering how old the new characters are:**

 _ **Russell: 19 (18 in prologue)**_

 _ **Lucas: 18 (17 in prologue)**_

 _ **Chelsea: 17 (16 in prologue)**_

 _ **Ethan: 15 (14 in prologue)**_

 **I would also like to take the time to thank aleyuma98, February1796, and Izi Wilson for reviewing the prologue. They made me smile and it means a lot. :D**

 **Don't hold back on sharing your opinions. I appreciate all of the feedback that I can get, so go ahead and tell me your thoughts on this story. Feel free to PM them to me or write them out in the reviews at anytime. Thank you all very much. :) :)**

 **Remember, read _very_ carefully at all times. You never know when something important will come up. ;)**

 **Anyway, I believe that's all I have to say right now. Have fun and I hope you all enjoy the first official chapter! :D**

* * *

 **O Death ~ O Death ~**

 **Won't you spare me over til' another year?**

 **...**

 **Well, what is this that I can see?**

 **With ice cold hands takin' hold of me.**

 **...**

 **When God is gone and the Devil takes hold.**

 **Who'll have mercy on my soul?**

 **...**

 **O Death, O Death, consider my age.**

 **Please don't take me at this stage.**

 **O Death ~ O Death ~**

 **...**

 **Won't you spare me over til' another year?**

* * *

 **Russell's POV**

 ** _ONE YEAR LATER, PRESENT TIME. FEBRUARY 2, 2015._**

 _ **MOUNTAIN ROAD, BUS STOP.**_

 _ **20:20**_

I was still having a difficult time believing that we were _actually_ doing this. It's only been a year since ... _that_ night, and everything about this mountain - the mountain that I once loved visiting - now made me feel very uneasy and upset. Everything felt colder, but I couldn't tell if that was because of the actual temperature or because of the dark memories coming back to me.

Whenever I closed my eyes and managed to fall asleep, I saw them - Beth, Scott, and Hannah - running off into the darkness of the dangerous blizzard with betrayal covering their faces. To make the nightmares worse, my brain never stopped filling in the blanks on what could've possibly happened to the three of them ... and every time I woke up, I had to deal with the harsh reality that it was all true.

My best friend and his sisters were gone ... they never returned from the woods and as soon as morning arrived, instead of getting the whole gang together for a massive snowball fight like Scott, Beth, and Josh had planned, we contacted the police.

 _"Just wait."_ I recalled Scott's voice from last year, hearing his words echo across my mind. _"As soon as this night comes to an end, you'll claim it as one of the **greatest** nights in your **entire** life. You'll see."_

A sigh almost escaped from my system and I fought the urge to frown. It really felt like it was just yesterday when I was driving up this exact road by myself, ecstatic at the thought of the whole gang getting together for a party ... and not once had I imagined that the night would end the way that I did.

Now, I was waiting on the side of the long mountain road with Sam. She was slowly pacing back and forth, turning her head from left to right in the hopes of spotting the damn bus that we were supposed to take all the way up to the Washington Estate. We had been waiting for nearly an hour-and-a-half and judging by how misty the sky looked, it was evident that snow was going to start falling soon. Luckily, this bus stop provided an awning that was constructed out of surprisingly sturdy, dark green wood. So, if it started snowing while me and Sam were still here, at least we had _some_ protection.

While waiting, I sat on the backless bench and scrolled through my cell phone, trying to hide my boredom. About two hours earlier, when I had been working on some last-minute packing, I ended up getting pulled into a conversation over text message with my psychologist, Dr. Harris.

Ever since the third week that followed the disappearances of the Washington triplets, my parents thought that it was essential for me to seek professional help. At first, I tried to convince myself that they were wrong ... but at the loss of my best friend, I could hardly function. I barely slept, I never seemed to be in the mood to eat, and my grades were beginning to slip drastically. So, long story short, I gave in and started attending therapy sessions once every week.

I ran my thumb down the screen, rereading Dr. Harris's messages for the millionth time. As I read, the sound of Sam's boots sauntering through the slushy snow filled the air. Believe it or not, it was actually a very comforting reminder that I wasn't alone.

* * *

 _Dr. Harris: Hey, Russell. It's Valerie. I'm sorry for messaging you at this hour, but I felt that it was absolutely necessary._

 _Me: Why? I already told you during our last session that there wouldn't be an appointment this week. I'm SERIOUSLY about to leave for the trip._

 _Dr. Harris: I just want to ask you a few questions and make sure that everything is okay before you go._

* * *

I rolled my eyes and emitted a low groan, mentally cursing this woman. Even over the phone, she managed to treat me like some needy little kid and it irritated the hell out of me - almost as much as the fact that her ass got paid whether I was there or not. My parents took a _huge_ risk and dipped into a _massive_ chunk of their savings in order to get me, and I quote, "the best of the best." So, even though I despised therapy, I wasn't planning on skipping out and letting all of that money from my parents go to waste.

I've been in Dr. Harris's office so much over this past year that if I just closed my eyes, I could easily see myself sitting across from her right at this moment. The heavy scent of pine coming from the billions of trees around me became a lot more decorative, clashing with the smell of Lemon Pledge Furniture Polish. It almost felt like the bench beneath me was changing - morphing into the large, squishy, leather chair that was placed in front of Dr. Harris's desk. My butt even felt like it was being sunk into the material, like it always did whenever I sat down in that chair.

I clutched my phone a little harder in my hand, trying to snap myself out of it. " _You're not in therapy right now!_ " My voice hissed inside of my brain. " _You're at the bus stop ... you're out of there, you're fine ... there's nothing to worry about. You're safe._ "

However, it wasn't so easy for me to forget about how uncomfortable I felt every time I entered that small room. Whether it was because Dr. Harris always wore the same, Sesame Street smile whenever she saw me or because I had no choice but to talk to her about the heart-wrenching events of the past, I had no idea. Either way, every time I took my seat, I couldn't stop fidgeting around. One moment, my left leg would be crossed. Then, after a few minutes, it would be my right leg. I couldn't help it. It was almost impossible for me to sit still anymore. Much to my dismay, I _always_ had to move _something._

I could practically hear the _tick, tick, tick_ from Dr. Harris's clock ringing in my ears. That damn sound tormented me in each of our sessions, reminding me every time that there was still an hour-and-a-half to pull through.

Suddenly, Sam spoke up. "Russ?" Her voice was calm, yet dripping with concern. "You okay?"

My eyes immediately snapped open and I blinked a couple of times. Turns out, I'd been so caught up in thinking about therapy to the point where I had failed to notice how I'd been shifting around on the bench, rocking my weight back and forth from the right side of my body to the left side. Now, I was angled like the Leaning Tower of Pisa and looking down at some of the slush on the ground with my phone still being clenched in my hand.

I cranked my head up and looked at my girlfriend, who was now facing me with her hands slipped into the pockets of her onyx-black leather jacket. Her eyes were kind and patient, causing waves of comfort and reassurance to start rippling throughout my body.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Sammy." I said, trying not to sound _too_ relieved as I mustered a small grin. "I'm just trying to make myself more comfortable on this thing. It's hard as hell."

Sam chuckled a little. "All right, if you say so." After that, she turned her back on me and, in an attempt to occupy herself, picked up a brochure from the holder that was, for some reason, built into one of the walls of the awning. It advertised the image of a sandy beach that was being illuminated by the vibrant colors of a sunset. As soon as I saw it, a slight sprinkle of envy flickered across my eyes and I could've sworn that the winter breeze had grown even _colder._

I leaned over, arching my back in an attempt to lessen the discomfort that I was truly feeling from the solid bench. Then, as I rested my head against my right hand, I dropped my attention back down to my cell phone.

* * *

 _Me: Well, I don't have much time. I need to go meet up with Sam so we can catch our bus._

 _Dr. Harris: How is Samantha doing?_

* * *

Translation: _"Samantha didn't say or do anything recently to make you upset, did she? If she did, you should probably isolate yourself from her right away."_

I peeked up at my girlfriend again, watching her through a few strands of my dusty blonde bangs as she absently skimmed through the brochure. She studied the picture of a luxurious cruise ship with false interest, right before she folded the brochure back up, slid it back into the correct compartment, and then pulled out another brochure to repeat the process.

I really was lucky to have her - especially in a time like this. A much brighter smile curled up on the corners of my mouth with that thought on my mind and I continued to read the text messages, almost forgetting who they were sent by.

* * *

 _Me: She's doing fine ... really, we're all doing just fine._

 _Dr. Harris: And how is that new prescription working out for you?_

 _Me: Well, I'm falling asleep and getting through the night easier. I guess that's a good sign._

* * *

I had immediately added on to that text as soon as I sent it, not even giving Dr. Harris a chance to write anything back.

* * *

 _Me: ... but I'm STILL having nightmares._

 _Dr. Harris: I see. Are they still centering around the night of last year with your friends that went missing? Scott, Hannah, and Beth?_

* * *

"No shit, Sherlock." I grumbled under my breath, not even realizing that I said it out loud until it was too late.

Sammy glanced over her shoulder to look at me again. "What?" She asked, still holding the outdated brochure.

I shot her the most nonchalant look that I could pull off and replied with, "Oh, nothing, babe." In return, Sam stared at me with a mixture of confusion and curiosity brewing in her eyes. Though, after a few seconds, she nodded and went back to flipping through the _Springy Shore Resort_ brochure. Don't get me wrong, I knew that I couldn't keep pretending that last year never happened ... but the winter getaway hadn't even started yet and the last thing I wanted to do right now was worry Sam.

Despite the knot that was starting to form in the pit of my stomach, I went on reading.

* * *

 _Me: Yeah, what in the hell else would they be out?_

 _Dr. Harris: Well, Russell, you know that I only agreed for you to go on this trip because I believe it'll give you the opportunity to have fun with your friends and let go of the past. As soon as you do that, I have no doubt that these unpleasant dreams of yours will come to an end._ _Beth, Hannah, and Scott would want you to get better and move on with your life._

* * *

I still couldn't tell if that last sentence angered or stung me more. Either way, it made me recall the denial that I had suffered through during the first couple of weeks that followed the start of the police investigation. I broke out of it shortly after I began therapy, but instead of dealing with it for weeks, it felt more like I'd been dragging it around for centuries.

* * *

 _Me: How would you know?! You didn't even know them, so stop talking about them like you did!_

 _Dr. Harris: Russell, all I'm trying to do is help you. I care about you very much and I want to make sure that you're allowing yourself to heal. Please understand that. Now, how about you tell me about your most recent dream?_

 _Me: Fine ... I saw Scott and Beth running through the woods, calling out for Hannah. Snow was all over the place, it was almost impossible to see. Then, when they found Hannah ... she was lying flat on her back, being mauled and devoured by a killer bear. Her face had practically been mutated and her intestines were completely ripped out. There was so much damn blood covering the ground. Beth screamed, Scott was too stunned to do anything. The bear turned to them and stood up on its back legs, spitting chunks of raw flesh and thick wads of bloody saliva as it roared. Scott and Beth immediately took off, hyperventilating ... but they didn't get far. Beth was jumped by a large mountain wolf and it ripped its claws through her chest. Scott tried to save her, but he was brought down by another wolf and ... that's it. I woke up._

* * *

I couldn't help but grimace as the gruesome pictures replayed themselves in my head like a vivid slideshow. Even over text message, it was beyond difficult for me to talk about the possibility of my best friend and his sisters being _dead._ It hurt too much to even comprehend ... and what made it even worse was the fact that even though it wasn't confirmed, it was the most logical answer as to why they were still missing.

Having enough, I pressed a button on my phone and slid my finger across the screen. My inbox immediately slipped away and bared my screensaver, which was nothing more than a black background that looked like it was splattered with neon blobs of paint. After that, I clicked my phone off, stored it in one of the pockets of my Caribbean blue ski jacket, and flicked my attention back over to Sam - only to realize that she was staring at me again. Now, there was nothing but concern decorating her face. She must've seen me cringe.

Sam dropped the new catalog that she'd been flicking through back into its cubbyhole and walked over to the bench. "Russell, what's going on?" She asked as she seated herself beside me, ignoring the small squeak that the wood made beneath her. "I can tell that something is bothering you."

I pursed my lips at her and hesitated, still feeling that giant knot in my gut.

* * *

 ** _X Tell the Truth (I'm just thinking...)/Deny (I'm fine, babe...) X_**

 ** _Choice Chosen: Tell the Truth_**

* * *

A quiet, yet heavy sigh escaped from my mouth and a misty cloud formed in the air from my breath as I finally decided to come clean. After all, Sammy was practically equipped with a built-in lying detector and she was the number one person that I've kept in contact with ever every since last year. I knew that I could confide in her about anything. Plus, we were both easily influenced by our curiosity. When we wanted to get to the bottom of something, we never stopped until we did so.

"It's not a big deal, Sam. Really. I've just been..." I glanced down at my knees and tried to find the right words to say. Then, after a brief pause, I lifted my head back up so I could be staring across the vacant road and said, "I've just been thinking is all."

"About what?" Sam inquired. Her tone was still gentle, but there was a hint of something in it that made it obvious that she already had a theory as to what I meant.

"Well, a lot ... but mostly therapy." I replied. My icy blue eyes lit up with a sullen glow at my final word, but I maintained a natural voice. "Just as I was about to leave to meet up with you, Dr. Harris blew up my phone with all of these dumb text messages and I had to answer some questions for her before I left. I swear, over this past year, I've seen that annoying woman more than my own family and she's _still_ doing a crappy job at helping me pull through my depression."

About a month after my first therapy session, that's what I was diagnosed with: Depression.

Sam placed her hand on my shoulder and gave it a delicate squeeze. "Russ, things like this take time. You can't expect yourself to get better overnight, especially after ... what happened." She looked down at her lap in a mixture of hurt and guilt, but continued to speak in a comforting voice. "That's why Josh arranged for everyone to come back this year. We're all in need of closure ... and one way or the other, we're going to get through this. Together." At her final word, she slid her hand down my arm, folded it in mine, and we laced our fingers together.

"I know." I straightened myself back up and drew in a deep breath, puffing my chest out. Then, as I exhaled and filled the air with another misty cloud, I turned my head and shot my girlfriend a teeny, nervous grin. "I'm just having a hard time believing that it's already been a year. It feels like it all happened just yesterday and now ... I have no clue if the lodge will _ever_ feel the same to me. I've always thought of it as my second home, but now ... I can't even figure out what is it."

"Yeah, neither can I." Sam admitted as she sweetly traced her thumb back and forth across my knuckles. "But we're gonna make the best of this weekend. We're all gonna have fun together and help each other with whatever we need because that's what friends are for." She squeezed my hand a little tighter and I gently stroked my thumb down one of her blue nails to comfort her like she was comforting me. "It's what Hannah, Beth, and Scott would want from all of us."

I could handle hearing my girlfriend talk about the triplets like that. At least she had known them, unlike my psychologist.

"I know. You're right, Sam." I said, just as I flicked my eyes up towards the sky and noticed how it was gradually starting to darken. "I just hope that this trip gives me the opportunity to get at least one full night of sleep."

"You're still having nightmares?" Sam asked.

I sighed, watching some of the clouds as they roamed through the air high above us. "Yeah, almost every time I fall asleep. They're getting worse ... and I don't think they're planning to go anywhere anytime soon."

"Do you want to talk about any of them?"

I hesitated for a moment before turning my head to make eye contact with Sam again. "I'm sorry, but I can't." I said with guilt trickling through my voice. "You know I trust you and appreciate everything that you do for me, but ... my nightmares are _very_ brutal and they're not easy for me to relive."

Sam softly nodded and said, "Don't worry, Russ. I understand." Then, as she offered me one of those warm smiles that made her seem even more beautiful, she added, "But if the time ever comes in which you _do_ want to talk about it with someone, I'm here for you. Anytime, any place ... no matter what, I'm all ears."

Hearing her say that brought a much wider and happier smile to my face. "I know, Sammy. I'm very lucky to have you as my girlfriend ... which is why~" I sort of sang my last three words, causing Sam to wrinkle her brow in confusion. With her watching, I reached into the other pocket of my ski jacket and pulled out a small black box that had a shiny red bow placed on top of it. "Which is why I got you this." I finished proudly.

A large, surprised grin instantly split across Sammy's face. "What?" She carefully took the box from my hand and stared at it in her own. "Russell, what'd you do? What is this?"

I scooted a little closer to her and looped my arm around her shoulders, closing the tiny gap that'd been between us as I answered, "Just a little something that I got to celebrate our third year anniversary." A wink followed my last word, causing Sam's cheeks (which were already glowing bright pink from the temperature) to darken a little.

Still smiling, she raised her eyebrows and retaliated wisely. "I thought we made an agreement not to buy each other anything."

I chuckled slightly. "Well, if you want to look at it _that_ way, then let's consider it as an apology gift."

"What do you have to apologize for?"

My smile wavered just a tiny bit. "For having to cancel most of our plans that day in order to attend a stupid therapy session."

"Russell..." Sam said, and I knew that she was getting ready to tell me that I didn't have to apologize for that.

"Come on, I want to see you open your present." I cut her off with a teasing, childish note in my voice.

With a playful roll of her eyes, Sammy looked down at the box and just as she was about to remove the lid, she stopped and turned to look at me again. "I swear, Russell Curtis, if it's another one of those fake hairy spiders-" She tried to look serious, but couldn't resist snickering.

"Oh my God!" Laughter almost instantly exploded out of me as I recalled the memory from many years back. "Sammy, we were in the _fourth grade!_ Let that go already!"

My girlfriend playfully nudged her knee against mine, laughing along as she dropped her attention back down to the present. At last, as our laughter came to an end, she removed the lid to reveal what was inside the box - a very pretty, silver locket that was in the shape of a heart. The image of a butterfly was also designed on top of it. It had significant bright blue wings that were spread out and streaked with some black along the veins and around the edges. It really looked like an _actual_ butterfly that was accompanied by three, small, round gems on either side. They were sapphires - Sammy's birthstone.

"Oh ... oh my God." Sam breathed, batting her eyes in awe as she ran one of her fingers across the locket. "Russell, this is _gorgeous._ "

"You like it?" I asked with a grin still on my face.

"I love it!" Although, after a few more seconds of studying her gift, her teal eyes started to flicker with guilt. "But it looks like it cost you _a lot_ of money."

I held my hand up, signaling for her to stop. To be honest, she wasn't wrong. The locket had cost me practically all of the money that I'd saved up from my past couple of birthdays and my prior job as a worker at my uncle's car wash, but I didn't care. Samantha was worth every penny.

"Nah, don't worry about that." I said, shaking my head. "It's no problem. Now, open the locket."

Sam obeyed, setting the box down on her lap before she lifted the locket out of it. Then, after briefly fiddling around with the heart-shaped case, she managed to open it. On the right side, there was a miniature version of the picture that I had taken of us during our first date back in senior year. We were sitting in the middle of the football field after school hours, huddled together on a thin blanket with bright smiles on our faces and a picnic basket on Sam's lap. As for the left side, there was a message that was engraved in fancy letters, reading:

 _Happy Three Years_

 _I Love You, Sammy_

 _Russell_

 _XOXO_

Sam beamed at me, almost speechless. "Aww, Russ ... this is the greatest gift that anyone has ever given me." She planted a kiss against my cheek and then used her thumb to wipe away some lip-gloss that had been left behind on my skin. "But I really wasn't kidding when I said that you didn't have to get me anything."

I playfully rolled my eyes. "Sam, you're my girlfriend. Whether you like it or not, I'm going to spoil you every once in awhile. Get used to it." I winked at my last sentence, causing Sam to snicker. "And besides, there's a difference between _having_ to do something and _wanting_ to do something." I then withdrew my arm from around her shoulders and held out my hand, eyeing the necklace. "You want me to help you put it on?"

"I would like that very much." Sammy replied as she handed the locket over to me, right before she untangled her lipstick-red scarf to bare her neck.

After she spun around so her back could be facing me, I looped the locket around her neck and fastened the ends together. When I finished, I gently stroked some strands of her light blonde hair that were poking out from the back of her furry, grey box hat. I wanted to make sure that none of them had somehow been snagged by the chain; and after confirming that none of them had, I drew my hands back and said, "All right, you're good."

Sam looked down at the beautifully polished heart that was now around her neck and ran her fingers across it. Then, she swiveled back around and said with an even prettier smile, "Thank you so much for this amazing surprise, Russell. I promise I'll wear it all the time." After that, she placed her lips against mine, creating a kiss that I gladly returned. "Looks like I'm gonna have to take some time on this trip to figure out a way to repay you." She said after we parted.

I started to run my hands up and down my arms in an attempt to warm them up better. "You want to know how you can repay me now? By staying close so we can generate some heat. Seriously, it's a miracle that my ass hasn't been frozen to this bench yet." I snickered slightly and watched as my girlfriend tied her scarf back around her neck, covering the locket. "For Christ's sake, Sammy, how are you not complaining about this weather? It's _freaking freezing_ and you're wearing a _skirt!_ "

Although, it wasn't just any skirt ... it was the knee-length, dark red, plaid-styled skirt that Hannah had given to her as a birthday present a couple of years back. I remember because shortly after Sam opened it, Beth cracked a joke about her finally having something to wear if she ever visited Scotland and Josh put on a skit in a Scottish accent that made the whole group crack up. That was a good memory ... but now, I didn't have the slightest clue as to how Sam was surviving the temperature. The skirt might've looked cute with her leggings and dark purple sweater, but we were in the dead middle of winter.

As for me, underneath my Caribbean blue ski jacket, I was wearing a camouflage T-shirt with cuffed sleeves and a denim jacket for extra warmth. Plus, I had on a pair of ordinary dark blue jeans and the same brown army boots that I'd worn last year. And lastly, other than the moss-green knitted cap that was placed atop my head and the matching wool scarf that was tied around my neck, I was wearing an old necklace that had a pendant shaped like a bronze crucifix hanging from it. It used to belong to my grandfather and I almost never took it off.

Sam stood up from the bench and flashed me a teasing smirk. "Well, in case you've forgotten," she said, "I'm a badass that can handle _anything._ "

"Whoa, whoa! Hold on there, missy." I got up for the first time in over an hour and wrapped my arms around her waist, returning the smirk. "Is that your nicey-nice way of saying that I'm not a badass?"

"Oh, you're a _total_ badass." Sam laughed, despite how I could tell that she meant it. "But not as much of a badass as me."

"I'll have you know, I'm _just as much_ of a badass as you are." I chuckled along and lightly swayed her around in my arms, right before I delivered a quick kiss to her cheek. "Damn, Sammy, you feel as cold as ice! If that stupid bus doesn't get here soon, we're both gonna end up getting sick and _that's_ not exactly the best way to kick off a trip." I cocked an eyebrow, now curious. "Speaking of which, how in the hell did you manage to convince me to take the bus again? You know, we could've just taken my car up to the estate."

"Taking the bus will help us save money. We won't have to worry about stopping for gas or dealing with traffic." Sam informed. She backed out of my arms and continued her search for the bus. "And besides, we both know how your parents feel about you driving up here."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. To be honest, my parents never liked the thought of me driving my Jeep Wrangler up the mountain to begin with. They only made exceptions because I was a responsible driver; but now, due to my depression and the ice that was glazing the roads, my parents refused to even consider the idea of me driving to the Washington lodge this year. They were afraid that I would have an accident as a result of getting caught up in thinking about what happened last year. So, I settled with Sam's suggestion on taking the bus since her car was in the shop and we basically had no other options to choose from.

"True, but at least we would've made it to the cable car station by now." I said. "Chris is probably trying to figure out where in the hell we are."

Sam grinned nonchalantly, "Well, the road that we need to take is right here. If you want to walk-"

"Oh, hell no!" I cut her off, shaking my head and laughing. "Not in this lifetime!"

Almost immediately after those words came out of my mouth, the bright glow of headlights came into view from the west side of the road. The smell of gas started burning through the air and the bus broke through the dim evening shadows, looking more like an RV from the distance.

" _Finally!_ " Sammy exclaimed with a hint of relief in her voice. She leaned a little closer to the road and waved in the direction of the bus to catch the driver's attention, while I grabbed my orange-and-grey mountain backpack from where I'd left it on ground and tossed it over my shoulder.

"Damn, Sammy!" I had to speak a little louder in order to be heard over the oncoming wheels that were skimming over a couple of potholes. "I haven't been on a bus since..." I trailed off and bit down on my bottom lip, feeling a strong sting shoot through my chest as I forced myself to shut up.

Sam turned to me, the creases on her forehead giving it away that she was now confused. "Since when?" She asked.

"Oh, you know..." I shrugged, trying to abandon the thought, "...since something that happened a long time ago."

I couldn't tell if Sam had heard my last couple of words, because the bus came to a screeching halt in front of us as soon as I said them. Either way, despite the brief moment of hesitation, my girlfriend nodded at me and then turned her attention back to the bus.

" _I'm surprised this thing is still functioning._ " I thought to myself as I eyed some of the brown rust that was rimming almost all of the rectangular windows.

The door folded aside with a squeak, revealing the driver - who was a middle-aged man with greasy brunette hair, insanely dark blue eyes, and a patchy stubble. There was even a cigar hanging out from one of the corners of his mouth and the overcoat that he was wearing looked like it had seen far better days. His name tag was stuck to the collar, reading the name _Randy._

I let Sammy go first, only because I wanted to get her out of the cold as quickly as possible. She stepped up onto the second stair and offered Randy the kindest smile that she could muster, while I stood behind her on the first stair with my hand gripping the steel railing.

"All right, kids," Randy said, puffing his cigar between every few words, "where to?"

"We're heading to Blackwood Pines." Sam answered.

Randy raised one of his bushy eyebrows and his eyes sparkled with something that made me feel a little uneasy. "Blackwood Pines, eh?" He said, making it sound like he knew something that we didn't. "Well ... if that's the case, you both better pop a squat. We got quite a drive ahead of us."

Not knowing exactly how to respond, I forced a taut grin across my face and said, "Thanks."

Sam took a hold of my hand and began walking down the aisle. There was nobody else on the entire bus, but instead of sitting towards the front, we kept walking until we made it to the middle. Sam slid in first, taking the seat beside the window while I took the seat that was closer to the aisle. But then, at the sound of the squeaky door closing almost reluctantly, the whole atmosphere changed.

I slumped back in my seat and looked up at the ceiling, listening to the engine grumble. At the same time, Sam's smile crumbled away from her face and she stared out the window, watching as snow startled to sprinkle down from the sky. We both looked equally unsettled, as if the whole thing at the bus stop never happened between us. Now, not only did we have to deal with having a creepy driver, but we also had to deal with the fact that this wasn't just a discussion or a date on the calendar anymore. Tonight was the night ... we were _actually_ returning to the Washington lodge.

As soon as Randy started driving, he hit a speed bump that made my stomach feel like it just dropped down a roller coaster. Thankfully, it only lasted for a second and for awhile, the rest of the road became smooth.

After about fifteen minutes of pure silence went by, I decided to pull out my phone and attempt to connect to the internet to type in the name of Josh's blog. Unfortunately, the loading bar at the top of my screen only made it about halfway before a notification that read _**Sorry,**_ _ **Low Signal**_ popped up. I mumbled "Crap..." under my breath, hating how our signal grew weaker with every passing second that we ascended up the mountain. In the past, the lack of cell phone reception never really bothered me; but now, considering the scenario, it kind of did.

Sammy was having much better luck. Her phone wasn't as old as mine, so her signal was holding on better. Although, judging by the look on her face, she wasn't distracting herself with YouTube, Twitter, or classical music from her playlist. Instead, her screen advertised the words **_Radio From The Pines_** , giving it away that she was in the middle of listening to some sort of broadcast.

"Hey, Russell." Sam said softly. She took out one of her pink earphones and offered it to me. "Listen to this."

I obliged, taking the bud and silently tucking it in my ear.

At first, I was confused when all I heard was the sound of static. Then, after a moment, a voice belonging to a familiar radio host cut in.

" _Today is the one year anniversary of the **dreadful** tragedy that took place on Mount Washington..._ "

I gripped the arm of my seat a little tighter, feeling the sorrow and regret starting to increase in my chest. At the same time, Sam's eyes grew sensitive and flickered with guilt as she stared at the back of the empty seat in front of her. Now, we were both caught up in reliving the horrible events from last year.

It all happened so quickly ... I almost got a headache from how fast it was all replaying in my brain.

" _Sheriff Annie Cline, who was in charge of the investigation..._ " _(Radio Host)_

A feminine voice came in almost flirtatiously, " _Thanks for having me, Marty._ " A small glitch followed.

" _Listeners, an update on Hannah, Beth, and Scott Washington - the triplets who are **still** missing..._" _(Radio Host)_

I narrowed my eyes and bitterly clenched my jaw. " _Those dumbasses don't give a crap about my friends._ " I silently sneered. " _They never did. All they care about is the money, publicity, and whether or not they're getting high ratings. I bet those two have been screwing each other this past year instead of doing anything to actually_ _help._ "

" _One year ago tonight, the Washington boy and girls left the safety of their parents' lodge and headed out into a snow storm..._ " _(Sheriff)_

The radio cut out again and I quietly scoffed. First, this woman had the nerve of addressing Beth, Scott, and Hannah as "the Washington boy and girls" like their names weren't worthy enough to come out of her mouth. Then, she actually made it sound like the three of them had ran off into the woods because they didn't think that they had anything else better to do.

The bus shook a little from another pothole, but neither Sam or I seemed to notice.

" _Foul play?..._ " _(Radio Host)_

" _Not officially, no. There is one individual we're considering as a person of interest, but his whereabouts are currently unknown._ " _(Sheriff)_

I rolled my eyes, wondering who would be dumb enough to hire such lousy officers.

" _He has an interesting history with the Washington family._ " _(Sheriff)_ " _He had warned them against pursuing their construction project ... and claimed the land was sacred to his forefathers._ "

" _You know, there is still the old_ _Sanatorium on the mountain._ " _(Radio Host)_ " _Could he be hiding there?..._ "

" _My officers did a search of the grounds, but..._ " _(Sheriff)_

Once again, our signal was interrupted. It was only a matter of time before we would lose it completely.

" _...the kids themselves couldn't have made it that far..._ " _(Sheriff)_

Sam blinked and furrowed her brow, as if she were debating whether or not that could've been true. After all, if the police searched the whole estate, then how was it possible that they didn't find any clues as to what happened to our friends?

" _Something about that mountain seems to breed tragic events._ " _(Radio Host)_

The bus rattled from skimming over yet another pothole, causing me and Sammy to sway a little in our seats.

" _More than you know, Marty._ " _(Sheriff)_

" _Well, t_ _hank you for joining us, Annie._ " _(Radio Host)_ " _To all the Washington's tonight ... their son Josh on this, the anniversary of the mysterious disappearance of Hannah, Beth, and Scott Washington._ "

Sam passed her phone over to her other hand so I could see the screen better and pressed the return button. The screen then cut to Josh, who was standing by himself in one of the rooms of the lodge. It felt _so_ weird to not see Scott standing beside him, considering they'd practically been partners when it came to the blog. There were even times when Hannah and Beth would be goofing around in the background while the two of them spat about random topics and participated in hilarious dares from viewers - live, might I add. But now ... Josh was on his own; and I could only imagine how difficult that must've been for him.

" _Well, hello, friends and fans._ " Josh began, just as I started to squint from how blurry the footage had become. " _All right, let's do that again..._ "

Josh approached the camera and adjusted the focus, zooming in so it was a clear closeup of his face. Then, he backed up and flashed a peppy smile.

" _All right. Well, hello, friends and fans!_ " Josh repeated, but with more excitement in his voice. " _It's **beyond** awesome to have you guys all back this year._ "

My lips twisted into a small smile. It was nice to know that Josh was still the type of person who wore his heart on his sleeve, but that didn't change how I still worried about him. Aside from me and Sam, Chris and Chelsea were the only other ones in the gang who knew about Josh's depression. He's had it ever since he was eleven, and after keeping it under control for so long, I was afraid that he was gonna end up having a relapse. On the bright side, this trip would give us the opportunity to look after him. Like Sammy said, that's that friends were for.

" _Um ... first off, I gotta say I am **super** excited to welcome all my pals and girlfriend Chelsea back to the annual Blackwood winter getaway!_" Josh raised his arms over his head and let out a quiet scream of celebration at the end of his sentence.

At the mention of Chelsea's name, my eyes widened in disbelief and I questioned what I just heard. Did Josh just say that she was his _girlfriend_ now?

Josh's smile started to fade as he went on. " _So, um ... Let me just let you know, uh - let's take a minute to ... 'address the elephant in the room' for a second._ "

I drew in a shaky breath, just as Sam screwed her eyes shut. When she opened them again, she continued to watch the video as naturally as possible.

" _I know you're all probably worried about me ... and I know it's gonna be tough on all of us going back after what happened last year ... but-_ " Josh pursed his lips for a second, " _I just want you all to know ... um ... it means..._ " He then clutched his jaw, looking like he was trying to prevent himself from crying. " _It means **so** much to me that we're doing this. And I_..." Another short pause came, in which Josh looked down at the floor before glancing up at the camera again. " _I know that it would mean **so** much to Hannah, Beth, and Scott that we're all still here together, and you know, thinking of_ _them. I really want to spend some quality time with each and every one of you and, um ... just share some moments that we'll never forget, for..._ " Josh paused again, " _...for the sake of my brother and sisters and ... you know?_ "

I softly nodded my head, as if he could see me doing so. " _Hang in there, dude ... just hang in there._ " I said internally.

" _Okay ... so!_ " A new grin tore widely across Josh's face and excitement filled his voice again. " _Let's party like we're freaking porn stars, okay? And make this one trip we will never forget, all right?_ " He threw his arms up in the air again. " _Yes!_ "

I cocked an eyebrow when I heard 'porn stars' and took out the earbud, watching as the screen went black to announce the end of the video. In all honesty, I should've that coming from Josh.

"Sam?" I spoke up after what felt like an eternity. "Since ... since when were Josh and Chelsea dating?"

"Since early November when Josh asked her out over ice cream." Sam answered. She seemed amused by how bewildered I was, whether that was her way of coping with the video or not. "You mean, you didn't know? Josh spent the rest of the month and almost all of December posting about it on his Facebook."

* * *

 _ **X Flattering (I'm happy for them)/Teasing (It's about time Josh went for someone) X**_

 ** _Choice Chosen: Flattering_**

* * *

"I seriously had no idea." I was still trying to get a firm grasp on the mental picture of Josh and Chelsea as a couple, but that didn't stop me from grinning. "But it's good to hear that the two of them finally have a special someone in their lives - especially right now ... I'm happy for them."

"I am, too. When you get the chance, you should read some of the stuff that Josh wrote about her. It's _very_ sweet." Sam cooed, returning my smile before she turned to look out the window again. For a moment, we fell back into silent mode; but then, Sam glanced back at me, wearing the same look that'd been on her face throughout Josh's video. "Hey, Russ..." Her voice was now soaked in concern, "just to be on the safe side ... you remembered to take your meds today, right?"

Just like that, my smile vanished and I dropped my head back against the seat. "Aw, dammit!" I groaned. "I knew that I forgot to do _something!_ "

Sammy sighed. "Russell, you know you _can't_ forget to do things like that. It's too risky."

"I know, I know." I pinched the bridge of my nose and massaged my scar. "I was just _so_ caught up in responding to those stupid text messages from Dr. Harris and I was trying to finish packing my things so I could be out the door on time."

"Well..." Sam said, stretching the word out. She checked the time on her phone before turning to me again. "It's not too late to take them now. Let's get back on track, all right?"

I nodded and reached down, retrieving my backpack from where it was slumped between our feet on the floor. I unzipped one of the front compartments and pulled out the small orange container that contained my medication. Then, after I twisted off the childproof cap and shook out two of the medium-sized pills, I tilted my head back, popped them in my mouth, and took a swig of water from the bottle that Sam had offered to me. In a single gulp, the antidepressants went down my throat and I fought the urge to gag.

"Damn, those things taste like sawdust." I grumbled, at which Sammy rested her head against my shoulder and let out a tiny chuckle in an attempt to lighten the mood.

I pecked her on the forehead and returned my prescription safely to my bag.

Not another word was spoken.

* * *

 **O, I am death, and none can tell.**

 **If I open the door to Heaven or Hell.**

 **No wealth, no land, no silver, no gold.**

 **Nothing satisfies me but your soul.**

 **O Death, I come to take the soul.**

 **Leave the body and leave it cold.**

 **O, Death ~ O Death ~**

 **Won't you spare me over til' another year?**

* * *

 ** _1\. MEMENTO MORI_**

 ** _& TEN HOURS UNTIL DAWN&_**

 ** _BLACKWOOD PINES ENTRANCE_**

 ** _21:00_**

Just as I was starting to get used to the slight warmth that was provided on the bus, it was time for me and Sammy to get off. As we walked to get down the aisle with me leading the way this time, I just so happened to catch a glimpse of Randy staring at us through the mirror that suspended above the driver's seat. The mysterious look on his face still sent a chill down my spine and I almost felt grateful to be getting off that bus. As soon as I stepped off, I refused to look back and began to approach the rundown wooden awning that marked the entrance of Blackwood Pines.

Sam followed shortly behind me. She was kind enough to look back and thank Randy for the ride, but he didn't say anything back. Instead, he shifted his eyes back onto the road and drove off, taking whatever thoughts that were running through his mind with him. I refused to put much thought into it and stopped walking, feeling the breeze brush through my shoulder-length hair as I looked up at the old sign that read _Blackwood Pines._ It was squeaking in the wind, making our woodsy surroundings seem like the beginning of a horror movie.

* * *

 _ **RUSSELL - SCOTT'S BEST FRIEND AND SAM'S BOYFRIEND**_

 **CREATIVE**

 **COURAGEOUS**

 **CHARISMATIC**

 _ ***SPECIAL SKILL* - UNKNOWN**_

* * *

 _ **RUSSELL JAMES CURTIS**_

 ** _:/Character Traits/:_**

 ** _Honest: 8/10_**

 ** _Charitable: 7/10_**

 ** _Funny: 5/10_**

 ** _Brave: 8/10_**

 ** _Romantic: 6/10_**

 ** _Curious: 9/10_**

 ** _:/Relationship Status/:_**

 _ **Josh: 9/10**_

 _ **Jessica: 3/10**_

 _ **Sam: 10/10**_

 _ **Emily: 1/10**_

 _ **Ashley: 6/10**_

 _ **Mike: 5/10**_

 _ **Matt: 6/10**_

 _ **Chris: 7/10**_

 _ **Lucas: 6/10**_

 _ **Ethan: 5/10**_

 _ **Chelsea: 8/10**_

* * *

"Well, that's comforting." I huffed, not even bothering to bite back on my sarcasm. Then, as my girlfriend sauntered past me, I brought my hands up to my mouth, blew into them, and started rubbing them together as fiercely as possible. "I swear, Sammy, we _just_ stepped foot back outside and my fingers feel like they're on the verge of turning into icicles!"

Sam looked over her shoulder, wearing a good-natured grin. "Well, whose fault is that, Scarface?" She asked, chuckling a little. "If I remember correctly - and I do - I sent you a reminder two days ago to pack some gloves."

"Okay, so I forgot. Give me a break. I'm only human." I said with a smirk. "And gloves are pretty much the _only_ thing that I don't have with me on this trip. Don't I deserve at least _some_ credit for that?"

Sam snickered again. "Either way, if you don't want your ass to freeze off, I suggest you hurry up so we can get to the cable car station and meet up with Chris." She turned back around and approached the wooden gate that was dusted with snow.

I chuckled, adjusting the strap of my backpack as I followed. "Whatever you say, captain."

"General." Sammy corrected in a smug tone as she opened the gate.

* * *

 _ **SAM - HANNAH'S BEST FRIEND**_

 **DILIGENT**

 **CONSIDERATE**

 **ADVENTUROUS**

* * *

 _ **SAMANTHA GRACE GIDDINGS**_

 ** _:/Character Traits/:_**

 ** _Honest: 7/10_**

 ** _Charitable: 8/10_**

 ** _Funny: 4/10_**

 ** _Brave: 7/10_**

 ** _Romantic: 4/10_**

 ** _Curious: 6/10_**

 ** _:/Relationship Status/:_**

 _ **Josh: 8/10**_

 _ **Jessica: 4/10**_

 _ **Russell: 10/10**_

 _ **Emily: 3/10**_

 _ **Ashley: 6/10**_

 _ **Mike: 4/10**_

 _ **Matt: 6/10**_

 _ **Chris: 6/10**_

 _ **Lucas: 5/10**_

 _ **Ethan: 5/10**_

 _ **Chelsea: 7/10**_

* * *

As soon as I walked through the gate, I was taken back to the past. Just by being on that path and looking around at the hundreds of trees, I recalled the dozens of snowball fights that Scott and I had participated in with Hannah, Beth, and Josh as children. There was even a piece of me that could've sworn if I listened carefully enough, I could still hear the excited squeals coming from me and the triplets as we ran from Josh, who was calling out in a monster voice, "I'm gonna get ya, you little rugrats!"

I could've sworn that I felt the corners of my eyes starting to grow a little wet, but the freezing air chased that feeling away pretty quickly. With a tiny sigh, I made sure that the gate shut fully behind me before I picked up the pace in order to keep up with Sam. Though, as soon as I made it to her side, we both ended up pausing in our tracks from overhearing what sounded like a twig being snapped in the distance.

I cocked an eyebrow and slowly turned to look back at the gate, suddenly feeling like we were being watched. At first, I thought that it was somebody else from the gang trying to sneak up on us - but there was nobody there.

"Hello?" Sam peered over her shoulder, almost seeming uneasy as she dragged her eyes across the treeline. "Is someone there?"

There was no response.

"Huh ... that's ... odd." I murmured, choosing my words carefully as I examined the treetops. I spotted a crow sitting by itself on a high branch, oblivious to the cold. It stared directly back at me, its head twitching from side to side like a broken toy every few seconds. Then, out of nowhere, it spread its wings, ruffled its feathers, and cawed three times in a row, as if it was ordering me to stop looking at it. By the second caw, Sam released a startled gasp that immediately gained my attention.

"Ugh, damn." Sam grumbled, watching the large black bird as it leaped off the branch and flew out of sight.

"Aww, what's the matter, Sammy?" I snickered and wiggled my fingers at her teasingly. "Did you just get jump-scared by a little tweety bird?"

Sam smacked me in the arm, making me laugh more. "It did _not_ scare me." She objected. "It just ... caught me off guard."

"You've been watching far too many horror films lately."

"And you haven't?" Sam inquired, cracking a wise smile as she continued on down the trail.

I followed and hooked my arm around her shoulders. "All right, fair point." I admitted, still smiling. "But those are just movies. I promise, as long as I'm here, there's nothing for you to be afraid of. I'll protect you from the boogieman."

Sam shook her head and chuckled. "Oh, shut up."

* * *

 _ **SAM AND RUSSELL**_

 _ **PATH TO CABLE CAR STATION**_

 _ **21:02**_

* * *

The huge, iron gate came into view. At first, I could've sworn that I saw a piece of paper stuck to it; but my eyes were instantly drawn upward when I heard the sound of wings flapping and another caw. It was another crow, soaring off at the sight of me and my girlfriend from where it'd been perched on top of the stone wall. For a moment, my mind wandered and I recalled something that Ethan had once said: " _Crows symbolize death._ " I'm not saying that I believed that, but ... since today's the anniversary, the thought was pretty freaky.

"Is that a note?" I asked, eyeing the piece of paper that was plastered to the gate in uncertainty.

"Looks like it." Sam answered. "Weird ... Josh usually makes sure that the gate is wide open whenever he invites people over."

"Well ... it _has_ been a year since anybody's been up here." I reminded, trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice as I looked down at my feet and rubbed my arm.

Sammy approached the gate and removed the note to examine it. "Oh, what?" She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Dammit."

"What?" I walked up behind her with confusion glimmering in my eyes. "What's it say?"

My girlfriend silently handed the piece of paper over to me, refusing to break her focus away from the gate. Then, as she grabbed the bars and attempted to open the gate by shimmying it, I read the note to myself.

 ** _The gate's busted. Climb over._**

 ** _\- Chris_**

"Oh, you've _got_ to be kidding..." I mumbled, rereading the information before letting out a sigh. "Crap..."

"Ugh, Jesus. Nevermind." Huffing in defeat, Sam took a step back from the gate and turned to look at me. "It's no use. That gate isn't planning on letting us in the easy way anytime soon."

I stuck the note back on the gate, just in case any of the others hadn't arrived yet.

"Guess that means we're gonna have to follow Chris's instructions and climb." I declared. With Sam in pursuit, I walked over to the stone wall and looked up at it with my eyes narrowed in thought. "This doesn't look so bad ... for a pair of rock climbers like us, it should be a piece of cake."

"Wish I could say the same for Chris." Sammy said as her lips twisted into a teasing smile.

I couldn't help but laugh at that mental picture. "Yeah. Knowing him, he probably spent an entire hour trying to get over this thing. So," I glanced back at Sam, "do you want to go first? Or should I?"

Sam raised her hand like she was in class and said proudly, "I'll go first. You can follow me up."

"As you wish, babe."

* * *

 ** _X Safe/Quick X_**

 ** _Choice Chosen: Safe_**

* * *

Sammy raised her leg and planted her foot firmly on the lower stone, right before she reached up and delicately grabbed a protruding rock. Snow sprinkled down from her fingertips as she hoisted herself up with a small grunt. I watched her every move from below, already in position to catch her in case she accidentally slipped. She reached for another rock, ensuring that she had a good grip on it before she continued to ascend up the wall.

"Almost there, Sammy!" I encouraged her. "You got this!"

"I never said I didn't!" Sam grunted, and I didn't need to see her face to know that she was smirking.

I snickered. "Less talking and more climbing, smartass!"

* * *

 _ **X Climb/Jump X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Climb**_

* * *

Sam stretched her arm up as high as it could go, gritting her teeth as she latched her fingers onto yet another piece of protruding stone. Then, she carefully placed the outsole of her boot on the edge of another rock and continued hauling herself up. The entire time, I refused to take my eyes off of her to ensure myself that she was okay. At last, Sam managed to reach the top and seated herself on the ledge, taking the opportunity to catch her breath.

"All right, whoo!" I cheered, throwing my arms up into the air like Josh would do in a moment like this. "You did it!"

"You're damn right I did!" Sammy laughed. "Now it's your turn. Better get up here before the boogieman comes~"

I opened my mouth to retaliate, but before I could get a word out ... I could've sworn that I heard the sound of a few bushes being rustled around in somewhere in the forest. The amusement on my face instantly faded, only to be replaced by suspicion as I took a glance over my shoulder to see if any of the others were coming down the trail. Sam had a much similar reaction, looking in same direction with the same expression as mine plastered on her face. Once again, no one was there ... but I couldn't shake the feeling that we had a pair of eyes on us.

"What was that?" I inquired, feeling my veins bubbling with curiosity.

"Uh..." Sam pursed her lips after a moment and shrugged, "if I had to guess, it was probably just a deer or something."

The suspicion enhanced in my voice. "Or something?"

"Russell, _no._ I know what you're thinking. There are _plenty_ of animals on this mountain, so we're gonna hear quite a few noises coming from the woods while we're up here. There's nothing off about that." Sam flicked her eyebrows up, obviously choosing to set the noise aside. "Come on, Chris is waiting so the three of us can head up to the lodge together. Don't make me choose between you and a nice hot bath."

A soft snicker escaped from my mouth, despite how I was still looking off towards the wilderness and wondering about the noise.

* * *

 _ **X Investigate Noise/Follow Sam X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Follow Sam**_

* * *

"You wouldn't leave me for anything and you know it." I stated, turning back to my girlfriend with a sly grin.

"Want a bet?" Sam returned the smirk cheekily. "I've been thinking about that bath ever since we arrived at the bus stop. So, if I were you, I wouldn't test my patience."

"Okay, okay. I get the message." I held my hands up to my shoulders in mock surrender, chuckling. "I'm coming."

* * *

 ** _X Safe/Quick X  
_**

 ** _Choice Chosen: Quick_**

* * *

I took a couple of steps back, concentrating heavily on the wall before me. Then, as I drew in a deep breath to prepare my lungs, I charged and jumped. As soon as the front of my army boot struck perfectly against the lower stone, I shot my arm up and gripped a protruding rock with a solid grasp. The wetness of snow immediately started to torment my naked fingers, almost making me grimace. Though, I held it back and braced myself up quickly. After that, as I lifted my leg and positioned my foot on the next stone at a rapid speed, I grabbed a thin vine that was practically attached to the wall and used it to hold on to. It was surprisingly strong, but I still didn't want to risk keeping a grip on it for too long.

* * *

 ** _X Climb/Jump X_**

 ** _Choice Chosen: Jump_**

* * *

With a grunt, I leaped up and grabbed onto the ledge with both hands. I clenched my teeth, now dangling with my boots scraping against the slippery wall in an attempt to locate another protruding stone. Noticing this, Sam didn't think twice before taking a hold of my arm to help pull me up. As she did so, I managed to plant my foot against another rock and I climbed up beside her on the ledge. We both breathed out, relieved to have finished that task.

"Damn, Russ." Sam chuckled and carefully stood up on the ledge with me. "Do you hang out with Spiderman when nobody else is around?"

"Yeah, he and I had lunch last week." I replied with playful sarcasm as I dusted some snow off the front of my jeans. "Now, let's keep going before I lose all feeling in my hands."

Sam and I jumped down together, making the snow crunch beneath us as we landed gracefully on our feet.

"All right," Sam breathed, pursuing down the broadened path, "we're almost there."

I shivered, wiping my hands against my ski jacket in order to get the melted snow off. Once again, I couldn't help but feel like someone was watching our every move. I turned around to face the gate, only to see that there wasn't anybody standing on the other side. Maybe it was just paranoia ... returning to the mountain, especially in the wee hours of the night, after the disappearance of Beth, Hannah, and Scott was _really_ making me feel uneasy.

" _Come on, Russ, snap out of it._ " I told myself internally. " _You're here to have fun. There's nothing to be scared of. It's just a mountain._ "

"Aww." Sammy suddenly cooed, kneeling down. "Hey, little fella."

Hearing her talk like that instantly brought a smile to my face. I crouched down beside her and watched as a red fox squirrel came trotting out from behind a dead bush. It sniffed the ground before turning its head at the sound of my girlfriend's voice.

"You hungry?" Sam asked as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a couple of acorns, holding them out with a smile. "Huh?"

"Oh, I've _got_ to get a picture of this." I murmured, at which I slowly reached for the camera bag that was suspending at my side and unzipped it as quietly as possible. Luckily, I managed to pull out my DSLR camera from campus without scaring off the defenseless animal and I slowly removed the lens cap.

The squirrel's nose twitched, watching as I brought the eyepiece up to my face before it began to cautiously approach me and Sam.

"Don't move." I whispered to Sam, steadily adjusting the focus.

* * *

 **DON'T MOVE**

 _ **Note: There will be times in which you'll need to stay completely still.**_

* * *

Unfortunately, just as the squirrel made it halfway to Sammy's hand, she ended up losing some of her balance. I quickly grabbed her shoulder to prevent her from taking a face-plant into the snow, which triggered a startled titter from the squirrel as it quickly retreated to the bushes.

"Ah, dammit." Sam sighed, regaining her balance with the help of me. Then, as I slowly resumed my position with my camera, she switched back to her cooing voice in the hopes that the squirrel would come back out. "Hey, hey ... it's okay..."

"We're not going to hurt you, little guy." I whispered in a much similar tone.

"That's it..." Sam encouraged, smiling again as she held out the acorns. "Come on, cutie."

The bushes rustled and the small critter hesitantly walked back out. This time, Sam and I both managed to remain as still as statues. When the squirrel reached us, it slowly reached up into Sam's hand and took one of the acorns. I snapped the picture, silently thanking God for reminding me to turn the flash off beforehand. Although, at the sound of the audible _click,_ the squirrel did something that I didn't expect. It stopped nibbling the acorn that it had received from Sam and approached me.

I chuckled, watching as it curiously tilted its head at me.

"Sorry, little buddy. I don't have anything to give you."

One of the squirrel's ears twitched and I held out my hand to show it that I didn't have any food. It hooked its tiny paws around my index finger and leaned forward, tickling my palm with its whiskers as it sniffed my skin. In return, my smile expanded and I carefully ran my other fingers up and down so I could be scratching its belly. The squirrel clucked happily and nuzzled my thumb, right before I slowly withdrew my hand to take the extra acorn that Sam was offering me.

"Here you go." I whispered, holding it out between my forefinger and thumb. Almost instantly, the squirrel snatched it away, nibbled on it, and then scurried off into the forest.

Sam smiled at me. "Did you just take a picture of me feeding that little guy?"

"Yeah, I did." I replied as I placed the camera back in its bag and zipped it shut again. "Dr. Harris wants me to try using my photography as a new coping method. Instead of taking pictures for school, she wants me to go back to taking pictures for fun."

"Well, that picture you just took of me better show my good side." Sam teased, continuing on down the trail.

I followed, snickering as we stepped up a small set of stairs. " _Every_ side of you is good, Sam." I remarked with a flirty wink.

Sam chuckled. "Save it for a balcony, Romeo."

The path started to light up from multiple light posts. A few more crows came bounding out of the treeline, cawing as they flew after each other to the other side of the woods. Though, Sam and I didn't seem to pay them any mind and kept walking until we spotted something at the end of the trail. Embedded in the stone beneath a towering high totem pole, there was a bronze plaque that looked like it had been just recently put in.

I walked a little ahead, wanting to get a closer look. "Hey, Sammy," I called, lowering myself down onto one knee in front of the plaque, "take a gander at this."

"What is it?" Sam asked. She approached my side and leaned over, noticing the plaque. "Huh! Cool."

I read what it said silently.

* * *

 **INDIGENOUS** **PEOPLE AND BUTTERFLY PROPHECIES**

 _ **'Tribes who once lived in these mountains believed that butterflies carried dreams and prophecies of possible futures. The color of the butterfly indicated the nature of the prophecy.'**_

 _ **DEATH: Black butterflies prophesied the dreamers death.**_

 _ **DANGER: Red butterflies warned of dangerous events.**_

 _ **LOSS: Brown butterflies foretold of tragedy affecting a friend.**_

 _ **GUIDANCE: Yellow butterflies offered visions to help and guide.**_

 _ **FORTUNE: White butterflies brought dreams of luck and good fortune.**_

* * *

I raised an eyebrow in thought. "Hm..." I muttered, rereading the information carefully. "This must be new. I didn't see it on my way up here last year."

Instead of saying anything back, Sam knelt down beside me and picked something up out of the snow. From the corner of my eye, I noticed that it was a small wooden artifact. It looked fairly new, taking the shape of some sort of mysterious animal with dull yellow paint outlining the details. When Sam turned it over to examine it, I saw a similar butterfly shape designed on the back.

* * *

 _ **Totem Found: Guidance Totem**_

 ** _Information: Portrays a vision of a bird landing on a picnic table with somebody hiding behind a tree in the background._**

 ** _Note: Remember, not all totems are guaranteed to come true. Depending on the decisions that are made will determine the future. Be careful at all times._**

* * *

I spoke up almost absently, "Scott never believed in any of that, you know?"

"What?" Sam asked, snapping out of whatever thoughts were running through her mind from the totem.

She sat it back down on the ground and wrinkled her brow at me in confusion, just as I gestured to the plaque.

"He never believed that Indians used to live up here." I explained, studying the highly detailed image of some Indian chief. "He thought that all of that was one big fairytale that was made up in order to get more people interested in his dad and the mountain."

Sam blinked curiously. "What about you?"

I hesitated, thinking about the question. "I don't know." I shrugged, eventually answering. "I mean ... I guess it would make sense. This place can get pretty eerie at night and everything, but ... I'm still on the fence about it. Countless tribes living up here and nobody finding out until centuries later? And with hardly any evidence to go off of? Not one hundred percent convinced."

"Well, I believe it." Sam shared with a confident grin. "This mountain seems to be the perfect landmark for some historical events to take place on. Anyway, are you coming? The cable car station is right over there." She started up the next miniature staircase, forgetting all about the totem that she found.

"Uh ... yeah. I'm coming." I walked after her, trying to shake off the weird feeling I got from reading the plaque.

We headed through the opening of a fence, officially arriving at the Cable Car station.

"Wow..." I breathed, looking all around at the view that was provided. "I can't believe how much this place still looks the same."

Sammy huffed, her breath visible in the air. "I know ... remember when Josh invited us all up here last summer to hang out with him, Scott, Beth, and Hannah? Only you, me, Chris, Mike, and Chelsea were able to make it since the others already had plans."

I nodded, sighing quietly. "Yeah, I remember ... and if I had known that _that_ was the last summer that we were ever gonna have with the triplets ... I would've asked to stay longer."

My girlfriend placed her hand on my shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze, right before she turned away and looked towards the Cable Car building. "Chris? You here?" She called out, unable to locate our bespectacled friend.

"Christopher?" I called next. "Where are you, man?"

Nobody responded, at which I twirled around on my heels to check in the opposite direction. That's when my attention landed on something that made my eyes widen in disbelief. I walked the fair distance that was between me and the provided map of the mountain until I was standing directly in front of it. On the map, a large message was scribbled and dripping in what I was hoping was just red paint.

 **THE PAST IS BEYOND OUR CONTROL**

"Well ... that's unnerving." I mumbled under my breath, right before I looked over my shoulder and called out with some hesitance, "Hey, Sam! Come look at this!"

Sam turned to face me from where she was now standing in front of the station's door, pulling her hand away from the knob. Then, when I locked my attention back on the map, I heard the sound of her boots crunching through the snow as she made her way across the lawn. When she made it over to my side, she froze in her tracks and studied the creepy words that were spewed across the map.

"Wow, graffiti all the way up here." Sam commented with a hint of discomfort in her voice.

"Who in the hell would take the time to do this?" I inquired, crossing my arms. "It looks pretty recent ... almost like it was written in blood."

Sammy crinkled her nose in disgust. "Don't be ridiculous, Russ. It's only paint."

"Well, whatever it is, it's giving me the heebie jeebies." I muttered, trying to find reassurance in Sammy's words as I took a small step back from the map. As I did, my foot brushed against something and I glanced down at the ground to see what it was. It was another one of those weird totems, just lying there in the snow like somebody had purposely placed it out in the open to get found.

"What the..." I narrowed my eyes in confusion and knelt down, feeling my girlfriend's gaze following me. " _Another_ one of those things?"

"They must be scattered all over this place." Sam informed, still sounding partially unsettled. "It would go along perfectly with the Native American stories."

"Creepy."

I hooked my fingers around the wooden artifact, lifted it up out of the snow, and turned it around to study it. It looked just like the totem that Sam had found, except this one looked more like it was in the shape of an iguana and it was decorated with blood-red paint.

* * *

 _ **Totem Found: Danger Totem**_

 _ **Information: Depicts a scene of Lucas wildly trashing underwater, being held down by another figure.**_

* * *

I could've sworn that I felt something drill down into the pit of my stomach. Seeing these totems were one thing, but holding them was something entirely different. It sent an unclean feeling through my body ... almost like these artifacts were trying to tell me and Sam something.

"Come on, Russell." Sam spoke up, snapping me out of my thoughts. "We need to find Chris so we can head to the lodge."

"Right, right." I shook my head, placed the totem back down on the ground, and stood up again. "I'm right behind you, Sammy."

We walked away from the map, leaving the strange message and totem behind. Then, as we headed underneath the awning of the station, I paused to point at a familiar backpack that was sitting by itself on one of the benches.

"Isn't that Chris's bag?" I asked.

Sam approached it and tilted her head. "Yeah, it is. So where is he?" She took a moment to look both ways before calling out, "You're not in the bag, are you?!"

I snickered at her, rubbing my hands up and down my arms.

Suddenly, there was the sound of something vibrating. Sam placed her hands on her hips and leaned down, spotting Chris's phone peeking out from the front pocket of his bag.

"Hello, what do we have here..." Sam muttered, reaching for the backpack.

I pursed my lips, taking a quick glance around at the vacant land. Once again, I felt like we were being observed by someone and the last thing I wanted right now was Chris busting us.

"Uh, Sam..." I scratched the back of my neck in uncertainty, "...maybe we shouldn't try poking around Chris's stuff."

* * *

 _ **X Close Bag/Snoop X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Snoop**_

* * *

My girlfriend peeked over at me, wearing a small smirk. "Aw, lighten up, Russ. We're all friends here." She chuckled, locking her attention back on the bag. "Now, who would be sending our dear friend Christopher a text all the way out here, I wonder?"

"Babe..." I said, unable to resist grinning at her at least a tiny bit.

Sammy pulled the phone out of Chris's bag and held it so we could both see the screen. "Ah-ha! Look who it is..." Her smirk broadened a little.

 **Ashley**

 **1 New Message**

 **Ignore|Accept**

I stared at the screen and forced a taut smile across my face. Don't get me wrong, Chris was a good buddy of mine and I was happy that he now had the chance to go for the girl of his dreams. It's just ... Ashley was Scott's ex-girlfriend, and just the thought of another one of my friends going out with my best friend's ex made me feel very awkward. I definitely wasn't going to stand in the way of Chris and Ashley, but if the two of them ever hit it off ... it's going to take some time for me to get used to.

A new voice spoke up behind me and Sammy, "Hey, nosy duet."

Sam gasped and spun around, almost dropping the cell phone. At the same time, I yelped and got ready to throw myself in front of Sam to protect her from whoever was behind us. Luckily, instead of encountering a threat, we realized that it was just Chris. It was literally like he had come out of nowhere, layered in a light blue winter coat with a green commando-styled sweater, a blue-collared top, and a hint of what looked like some sort of white undershirt.

"Oh..." Sam huffed, holding the phone over her heart. "Chris!"

I sighed heavily in relief. "Holy crap, dude..."

* * *

 ** _CHRIS - HAS A CRUSH ON ASHLEY_**

 **METHODICAL**

 **PROTECTIVE**

 **HUMOROUS**

* * *

 _ **CHRISTOPHER JACOB HARTLEY**_

 ** _:/Character Traits/:_**

 ** _Honest: 6/10_**

 ** _Charitable: 7/10_**

 ** _Funny: 8/10_**

 ** _Brave: 3/10_**

 ** _Romantic: 4/10_**

 ** _Curious: 6/10_**

 ** _:/Relationship Status/:_**

 _ **Josh: 8/10**_

 _ **Jessica: 2/10**_

 _ **Sam: 6/10**_

 _ **Emily: 3/10**_

 _ **Ashley: 8/10**_

 _ **Mike: 4/10**_

 _ **Matt: 5/10**_

 _ **Russell: 7/10**_

 _ **Lucas: 5/10**_

 _ **Ethan: 3/10**_

 _ **Chelsea: 7/10**_

* * *

"You scared us!" Sammy said.

Chris pretended to adjust his glasses. "I'm sorry, are you two my secretaries?" He asked, aiming a finger at me and then at my girlfriend.

Sam looked down at the phone and then held it out with slight embarrassed in her eyes. "It - it was buzzing..." She said, trying to defend herself.

Chris huffed. "Cool. Well, thanks for letting me know. I can take it from here." He snatched the phone back and turned his back on us as he examined the screen.

"Oh, come on, Chris. Relax." I said, stepping up to his side with my arms crossed. "We didn't mean any harm. It's not like we went ahead and scrolled through your entire inbox or anything."

Our bespectacled friend turned his head to look at me, keeping his phone out of my sight. "Still ... my stuff is _my_ personal, private business. It belongs to me and nobody else."

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Chris's Relationship Status: Russell -1 (6/10)**

 **Chris's Relationship Status: Sam -1 (5/10)**

 **Russell's Character Trait: Curious +1 (10/10)**

 **Sam's Character Trait: Curious +1 (7/10)**

* * *

"All right, all right. We get it." I said as I held my hands up to my shoulders. "Won't happen again."

Sam sighed, resting her hands on her hips again. "Guys, let's not argue." She reasoned.

Chris looked at her and faintly nodded his head in agreement, right before he took another quick glance down at his phone. Then, he pocketed it and grabbed his backpack from the bench.

"Oh! So! I found something kinda amazing..." Chris started.

I grinned. "Oh, really?"

"What?" Sam inquired at the exact same time, sounding just as interested as me.

Chris flashed a wise, teasing smile at us and slid his bag on. "I'm not gonna tell ya, you gotta see for yourselves. Come on. It's this way." He began walking away, heading for the side of the Cable Car building.

"Where?" Sam asked, sauntering after him with curiosity in each step. I walked alongside her, keeping one of my hands tucked in my pocket for warmth and my other hand united with hers.

"Right around here. Gonna blow your mind." Chris assured. He made a gesture with his hand that was supposed to represent his brain exploding, causing me to roll my eyes at him playfully.

"Well, whatever it is, Chris, it better be as cool as you're making it out to be. Otherwise, this confidence of yours will be shot straight to hell." I informed, lightly laughing.

Chris scoffed. "I'll have you know, Russ, it's _very_ neat. Just wait until you see it."

"Whatever you say, dude."

Just then, out of nowhere, Sammy froze in her tracks and since I was still holding her hand, I stopped walking as well. That's when I realized that something on the wall had caught her attention.

"Whoa, look at this." She mumbled as she tightened her grip a little on my hand.

I turned my head and noticed that the item that she was staring at was a ripped wanted poster.

* * *

 **\+ CLUE FOUND - WANTED POSTER +**

* * *

 **WANTED**

 **MILGRAM, VICTOR**

 **Sex: Male**

 **Height: 6'2" (1.88m)**

 **Last Known Address: Blackwood Pines**

 **Last Seen: 03/16/1998**

 **Wanted in connection with first-degree arson offence, as well as various death threats.**

 **Anyone with information regarding this dangerous criminal should contact the BPMC as soon as possible.**

 **Blackwood Provincial Mounted Constabulary.**

 **Police Montee Provinciale de Blackwood.**

 **July 1998**

* * *

"Nice. You think we'll get a visit from America's most wanted?" Chris asked, reading the information from over Sam's other shoulder.

"From all the way up here?" I wondered aloud, batting my eyes in confusion. "Would a criminal _really_ go as far as traveling to the top of a mountain to commit their felonies?"

"Looks like someone thought so." Sam replied.

Chris scoffed again. "Oh, come on. This place is abandoned most of the year." He waved his hand through the air dismissively and continued his way around to the rear of the station. "Nobody comes up here."

With a shrug, Sam untangled her hand from mine and followed. However, it wasn't that easy for me to pull my attention away from the poster. So many thoughts were running through my mind, reminding me of the "bloody" map, the strange noises, and the many times that I could've sworn somebody was stalking me and Sammy. Was it possible that this Victor Milgram was the one behind all of it...?

" _Okay, Russell, now you're getting ridiculous._ " I groaned and rolled my icy blue eyes, almost scorning myself for considering such a dumb thought. " _That man hasn't been seen up here for a whole seventeen years. You're just paranoid from being back on the mountain. Stop freaking yourself out!_ "

I finally moved away from the poster, shoving the information that it provided to the back of my mind as I followed Chris and Sam's footprints to the back of the Cable Car building. I made it back to my girlfriend's side, just as our bespectacled friend dramatically spun around with a goofy grin on his face.

"Ta-Dah." Chris announced, presenting us with a shooting range. "Pretty rad, right?"

"Holy damn!" I approached the surprisingly sturdy table, gawking at the gun that was lying on it with deep interest. "Oh my God, wow! Look at this baby!"

"See?" Chris chuckled and gave me a clap on the back, right before he looked back at Sammy. "I told you guys that it was amazing."

"Yeaaaaaah..." Sam dragged out, eyeing the shooting range with no fascination whatsoever.

Chris stared at her like she was out of her mind, just as I picked up the rifle to examine it more closely.

"Come on! Look at these beauties." Chris encouraged as he gestured to the remarkable shooting range. "Russell definitely seems to be on board with me."

"Uhh, 'beauties' is not the word that comes to mind." Sam rebuked, shrugging afterwards. "Why is this even here?"

Chris turned to take the gun from me. "What do you mean?" He questioned, at which I shoved my empty hands into the pockets of my ski jacket.

Sam huffed. "What the hell is a shooting range doing at the base of a ski lodge?"

"Uh ... dude, have you ever _met_ Josh's dad?" Chris asked.

Sam gave a weak nod. "Yeah...?"

"Of course we have, Chris." I answered at the exact same time.

Chris looked at me. "He thinks he's like Grizzly Adams or something. Didn't he and your dad use to be hunting partners?"

I pursed my lips, recalling the many summers in which my old man had dragged me out on hunting trips with him and Mr. Washington as a child. Don't get me wrong, I always wound up having a great time because Scott and Josh were also forced to tag along. The three of us would have a blast sharing a tent, skipping stones, cracking jokes, telling ghost stories, and swimming in the lake whenever we got the chance. As kids, we got into so much mischief when our dads were caught up in their own world of smoking cigars, chopping wood, and skinning animals.

Unfortunately, there was one specific problem that I always had to face on those trips: like Sam, I _hated_ shooting animals. No, I wasn't a vegan like she was and I had no problem with listening to hunting stories or watching hunting documents, but killing animals firsthand was something that I never grew to enjoy. Even today, as a teenager, I only agreed to shoot for two things: practice and self-defense.

"Yeah, but that was a long time ago." I said, finally answering Chris's question. "They stopped due to work from their jobs piling up on them."

Chris nodded understandingly and flicked his attention back to Sam. "Wanna try?" He asked, pointing a finger at the shooting range.

"Uh, no." Sammy declined. She waved him off with a grin. "You go 'head, Grizzly."

Slight disappointment swept across Chris's features. "What about you, Scarface?" He inquired, turning to me again. "Wanna give it a go?"

My eyes lit up. "Yeah, sure! I'll go after you." I stepped back from the table and returned to my girlfriend's side, giving the spectacle-eyed teen some space.

With a nod, Chris positioned the rifle better in his hands and turned to face the wide-open range. "All right," he announced, raising the gun, "here it goes."

* * *

 _ **CHRIS, SAM, AND RUSSELL**_

 _ **CABLE CAR STATION**_

 _ **21:11**_

* * *

There was a moment of silence, in which Chris searched for a target to hit. I could only imagine how nervous he must've felt. After all, this was his first time using a rifle that wasn't part of a video game relating to a stickup or the zombie apocalypse. So, he must've thought that it was pretty awkward to shoot with me and Sammy right there behind him, observing his every move.

"What took you guys so long to get up here anyway?" Chris questioned.

Sam groaned, rubbing her arms in an attempt to warm herself up. "We were stuck waiting for the bus for over an hour."

"Speaking of which," I incorporated, "you're lucky that you didn't have the driver that we did, Chris. He was _beyond_ weird."

A small chuckle escaped Chris's mouth. "Aren't _all_ bus drivers weird?" He found a target and pulled the trigger, striking a sandbag that was dangling from the tree. He was just a smidge off from the center.

Snow sprinkled down from the impact and Sam flinched from the loud noise. I looped my arm around her shoulders, knowing how much she despised guns. It was one of the only things that she and I didn't have in common.

"Not like the one we had." I replied with some hesitance. "His name was Randy and he wouldn't stop looking back at us with this mysterious look on his face ... I swear, it was like he knew something about this place that we didn't."

"Sounds like something straight out of a horror movie." Chris commented, looking for another target. "The driver I had didn't even acknowledge me. He just told me to sit down so he could get me to my destination and then go home to some meatloaf waiting for him on the table."

My girlfriend made a disapproving face. "Talk about a ray of sunshine." She grumbled.

"Yeah." I agreed, just as Chris pulled the trigger and shot an empty soda can off the edge of a barrel. "Not bad, Chris. Not bad at all."

"I'm just glad that we managed to get up here safely." Sammy said, shivering a little from the cold. "It'll be good to see everyone again."

"Mm-hm." Chris hummed out. He pierced the air with another gunshot, striking another can that was positioned behind a stray branch on the ground. Then, he swiped the rifle upwards and successfully pelted another suspending bag a little above the medium-sized _X_ that marked the center.

"Wow." Sam said in an attractive Southern drawl. "Nice shootin', Tex."

"All right, I'm bad." Chris boasted, doing what looked like a rundown version of the Running Man. "I'm a badass."

I snorted at him and Sam looked away from his cheesy performance, taking a moment to hide her face in my arm.

"I'm gonna go ahead and guess it was a wild case of beginner's luck." Sam jested.

I nodded, still snickering. "Same here, man."

Chris wagged a finger at us. "Nah, I don't think so, you two." He then lined the gun up for another shot and aimed for an old beer bottle that was further back. He pulled the trigger, causing a bullet to shatter the bottle into dozens of broken shards.

"Well, anybody and their brother can shoot a bottle that big, that close." Sammy pestered, still wearing her amused grin.

I emitted a low whistle. "She's got you there, Chris."

Our spectacle-eyed friend huffed and raised the rifle again, ready to prove "beginner's luck" wrong. However, while he looked around for another target, I just so happened to catch a glimpse of a squirrel scurrying out from behind the tree. It looked exactly like the baby squirrel that Sam and I had fed on the way up here. At first, I didn't put much thought into it ... but when the squirrel climbed up on top of one of the barrels and caught Chris's attention, my eyes grew and I paled a little. A piece of me instantly worried about how Sam would react if she saw that poor little critter get its head blown off.

Chris moved the gun over to the squirrel, the corner of his mouth twisting into a slight smirk. Although, instead of shooting right away, he paused to take a glance over his shoulder at me and Sam. I stared back at him, believing that all he needed was the look on my face to understand what I was thinking. He knew that Sam and I were huge animal lovers and I could tell that he was one of the last people who would want to risk pissing us off.

* * *

 _ **X Shoot Squirrel/Spare Squirrel X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Spare Squirrel**_

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Russell's Relationship Status: Chris +1 (8/10)**

 **Sam's Relationship Status: Chris +1 (7/10)**

 **Chris's Character Trait: Charitable +1 (8/10)**

* * *

With a vague sigh, Chris turned back to the shooting range and aimed at yet another sack that was hanging from the tree. The bullet struck, its loud noise causing the squirrel to drop the acorn that it'd been gnawing on and leap off from the barrel. My chest deflated in relief and I grinned as I watched it dash back off into the wilderness, tittering the whole way.

"Nice shot." Sam approved with a small giggle.

Chris pointed at her. "Your ass just got saaaacked."

Sammy groaned and shook her head at the god-awful pun.

"Whoa there, Christopher. No need to get all ballsy on us now." I chuckled, feeling my smile beginning to transform into a smirk. "I mean, you _were_ pretty good, but..." I trailed off on purpose, as if there was nothing else that needed to be said.

" _Pretty good?!_ " Chris echoed. He stared at me in utter disbelief. "Uhh, hellooo? Did you _not_ see all of those things I hit? Do you _really_ need a replay of my spectacular aim?"

I crossed my arms over my chest and took a step forward. "Actually, I think your 'spectacular' aim could use a little bit of work." I said with a teasing glint in my eyes.

"Oh, really?" The spectacle-eyed teen snickered bitterly. "You think _you_ could do better?"

My smirk broadened, baring some of my teeth. "Why in the hell do you think I offered to go _after_ you?" I asked smartly. "I didn't want to risk bruising your precious confidence."

Sam chuckled at our friendly banter, knowing that it happened very often and wasn't meant to be taken seriously. Plus, considering the scenario ... I could tell that she must've been glad to see me trying to reconnect with my old self. Even if I wouldn't be able to hold on to the connection for long, at least keeping it going for a few minutes was a start.

"You know what, Russ? I find that difficult to believe. But if that's _really_ the case..." Chris handed the rifle over to me, "...then show us what you got."

I snickered. "Gladly."

The rifle felt like it was made specifically for my hands as I lifted it up and directed it at one of the sandbags. I curled my finger around the trigger and drew in a deep, steady breath. Then, with the adrenaline pouring through my body like a rapid flood, I shot off the gun and punctured the bag directly in the center of the _X._ After that, I didn't think twice before sweeping my aim over to the next sandbag and pulling the trigger again. This bullet also struck smack-dab in the center of the red _X,_ and the process repeated itself when I aimed for the third sandbag. I saved the other beer bottle for last, practically making it explode with a perfect shot.

I swear, every time I pulled that trigger, I felt a jolt of excitement electrocute through my veins. I was unmoved by the kick of the rifle each time, and my speed was impressive. In fact, after my first shot, I didn't even need to take the time to line up any of my other shots. Like my dad told me as a kid: " _The more experienced you get with guns, my boy, the easier it gets for you to shoot without taking so much time to_ _aim._ "

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Russell's Special Skill: Sharpshooting**

* * *

Chris gaped in astonishment, looking like he was seconds away from letting his jaw strike the ground. "Holy - holy crap, Russell!" He exclaimed, sounding almost like a fangirl. "That was ... that was unbelievable! I swear, I have _never_ seen anyone shoot like that before. Where in the hell did you learn to do that?"

I placed the rifle back down on the table with a satisfied smile. "I was raised in a house that strongly supported the Second Amendment." I explained. "As a kid, my dad spent hours teaching me how to shoot and handle all sorts of guns. He would take me to different shooting ranges just like this one nearly every weekend and we would stay there until he figured that we had enough practice for the day. Seriously, I learned how to load up and shoot at targets with an AK-47 long before I learned how to ride a bike."

"And you know what that means?" Sam asked, digging her phony Southern accent back out as she wrapped her arms around my neck. "I got's me a cowboy."

I smirked and rested my hands innocently on her hips, deciding to go along with the game. "Well, little lassie," I said in my own Texan drawl, "I think this moment calls for a smooch."

Sam scoffed at our corny roleplay, but continued to smile as I gently sealed my lips against hers.

"Aw, come on, you guys." Chris awkwardly groaned as he swiped the rifle back up and waved his other hand at us. "I don't wanna see that."

Sammy and I parted, snickering.

"Then avert your eyes." I quipped.

With a slight grin, the bespectacled teen huffed and shifted his attention back around to the shooting range. He raised the gun again, aiming at one of the soda cans that he had already struck. Although, when he pulled the trigger, he was taken back a little from the blow of the rifle and the bullet missed the can by just a couple of inches.

"Aw, dammit!" Chris cursed, dropping the gun a bit.

"Don't sweat it, Chris. You almost had it. You just need to tighten your grip and keep your chin up." I pointed out. "Otherwise, you'll get jerked back from the kick of the gun and the bullet will go wherever in the hell it wants."

Sam rolled her eyes and looked off towards the station, no doubt wanting to get up to the lodge to escape the cold.

"Huh..." Chris breathed. He did as I said, adjusting his grip and the angle of the rifle before taking another shot. This time, he managed to hit the can and send it skipping through the snow. "All right! Bullseye!" Chris cheered, evidently congratulating himself. "And the crowd goes wild!"

I chuckled, nodding in approval. "Way to go."

"Hey, sharp-shooters," Sammy spoke up, turning back to us, "our ride is coming."

Chris looked at her, already in position to take another shot. "Wait, I'm just getting the hang of this." He protested.

"Come on, Chris, the cable car!" Sam turned and began to walk away.

I started after her, but we both stopped and glanced back at Chris when we realized that he wasn't following.

"We can't keep it waiting, man." I said to him, referring to the cable car. "And unless you want to develop pneumonia, I suggest you come with us."

With a groan, Chris finally sat the rifle down and began following me and Sam. As the three of us walked back down the side of the Cable Car station, there was nothing but the sound of our footprints crunching through the snow. Then, as we made it back to the front of the building, Chris decided to shatter the silence that had abruptly formed.

"Man, it is..." He raised his hands up to his mouth and blew into them, sounding uncomfortable. "It's definitely weird coming back up here after a whole year."

I instantly felt a little numb. "Yeah, uh ... Sam and I talked a bit about that when we were waiting for the bus." I gripped the strap of my bag a little tighter and lowered my eyes to the ground. "It doesn't even feel like it's been a year."

"Yeah." Sam agreed in a solemn tone. She peeked back at Chris, rubbing her arms again. "I swear, the moment we got here, it all just came flooding back."

" _It's been flooding through me ever since the start of the police investigation._ " I sighed internally.

Chris exhaled, his shoulders drooping. "A year goes fast." He stated almost regretfully.

"Yeah..." I grumbled under my breath, frowning slightly. "Too fast..."

Sammy stepped up to the front door of the station and jiggled the knob. "Hey, that's weird." She said. "Door's locked."

"Locked?" I asked, wrinkling my brow in confusion.

"Yeaaah..." Chris dragged out, immediately gaining mine and Sam's attention. "Josh wanted us to keep it locked."

"Wait, how come?" I inquired. This has never happened before - Josh _always_ left the Cable Car building unlocked when he invited us up here.

Chris answered uneasily, "To keep people out."

"He said that?" Sam asked. "What people?"

"I - I don't know." Our spectacle-eyed friend shrugged and pulled a key out of his pocket. "He said they found people sleeping in the station one time."

Sam shuddered. "Creepy."

"Disturbing." I affirmed at the exact same time. Then, as Chris worked on unlocking the door, I took another glance around at the stretch of land surrounding us. "I never really pictured this place as one with hobos hanging around ... but I guess you learn something new everyday."

Chris pushed the door open, gesturing for me and my girlfriend to enter first. "After you." He insisted.

"A real gentleman." Sam retorted as she stepped into the station.

I playfully rolled my eyes at her and followed. Chris came in after us and shoved the door shut, trembling a bit from the chilly breeze. The temperature was definitely starting to drop.

"Ugh." Sammy groaned as she approached the railing and leaned against it, looking up at the cable car that was still in the process of descending. "I thought the car was closer."

"Guess we gotta wait." Chris said with slight disappointment.

I walked over to my girlfriend's side and looped my arm around her waist, wanting to keep her warm. In exchange, she sent me a pretty smile before glancing back up at our ride. I did the same, just now noticing how far the cable car still needed to travel in order to reach us.

"I'm starting to get the appeal of killing time at the shooting range." Sam remarked, putting all of her weight on one leg. "How long is this gonna take?"

"It shouldn't take that long." I replied.

"I wouldn't be so sure, Russ. Better find some wood to knock on." Chris retorted from where he was still standing in front of the door, shaking some snow off his boots. "I mean ... it's a big mountain."

"Yeah." Sam's eyes twinkled with something, but I couldn't tell if it was sorrow or bliss. "It's so beautiful in the day, but at night it just feels menacing like ... a sleeping giant."

"You gonna publish?" Chris asked.

"What?" Sam inquired, now confused.

"Your pretty poem. 'The Sleeping Giant of Blackwood Forest.'" The bespectacled teen whispered, cracking a smirk. "I'm pretty sure Russell wouldn't mind taking some pictures for it."

I chuckled and planted a kiss against Sam's temple, just as she scoffed at Chris and said, "Oh, shut up."

With a small snicker, Chris turned and began his way towards a wide-open doorway that stood in the upper right corner of the station. "Well, since we got some time to kill," he stated, "I'm gonna check out the control room."

"I'll go with you." I said, at which Chris froze on the single stair to wait for me. "You wanna come too, Sammy?"

"Nah, you two sharp-shooters go ahead." Sam answered, waving me off. "I'll just wait here."

"All right, suit yourself." Chris said. "Come on, Russell."

"Coming."

The spectacle-eyed teen entered the control room, just as I began my way across the platform. Then, as soon as I stepped up onto the stair, it came to my attention that something on the wall had caught Chris's eye. I stepped into the control room, ignoring the slight creak that came from the old wooden floor beneath my feet as I paused at Chris's side to see what he was looking at. It was a large, outdated poster that advertised a brownish/gold image of some sort of building. There were also words printed across it, too huge to miss.

 **BLACKWOOD PINES**

 **Hotel and Sanatorium**

 **'For a healthy body and mind'**

Just reading the word 'sanatorium' sent a shiver through my bones. Even after all of these years, I failed to understand why Mr. Washington wanted his family's estate to be built on the same mountain as a mental institution. It might've been abandoned a long time ago, but just the thought of people going there in the past due to chronic illnesses made me feel a little sick to my stomach. It was bad enough that tonight was the anniversary ... I _really_ didn't need to be reminded of the old sanatorium.

"Well, there's something you don't see everyday ... a Bed and Breakfast that comes with a built-in rehabilitation center." I muttered, unimpressed. "Damn, that's freaky."

"Yeah." Chris agreed, speaking loud enough for Sammy to hear. "What a _crazy_ place to set up house. No matter how rich you are."

"They're not so rich." Sam remarked. "They only bought a mountain!"

I let out a laugh and stepped away from the poster, finding her sarcasm funny. Although, after taking a brisk stroll around the tiny control room, it occurred to me pretty fast that there wasn't really anything else interesting to look at.

"Hey, Scarface." Chris spoke up. He motioned me over, now standing in front of a small TV that cast a dim light. "Come look at this."

I obliged, setting aside some random paperback book that I had absently picked up before walking over to his side. The TV was flicking through security cameras that were positioned in different areas all around the lodge. I couldn't tell if the footage was old or current, but it was awfully choppy and grainy.

"You know, if there were any cell towers up here," I said nonchalantly, "all we would need right now is a phone call and a voice on the other side of the line saying 'seven days.'" I lowered my voice into an eerie whisper at my final two words, causing my bespectacled friend to elbow me in the lower ribs.

"Do _not_ remind me of that terrible movie." Chris grumbled.

I chuckled, turning my attention away from the TV screen to look at him. "You only say _The Ring_ is terrible because it scared the crap out of you when we watched it with Mike, Josh, and Lucas back in the middle school." I teased.

"It did _not_ scare me." Chris declined with a slight, awkward laugh. The security camera footage reflected in his glasses. "It just - huh?"

At the sudden uneasy note in his voice, I raised an eyebrow and glanced back at the TV in confusion. "What?" I asked, not seeing anything out of the blue with the footage of the upper Cable Car station.

"Did you, uh ... did you see that?" Chris questioned. He pointed at a certain area on the screen. "I thought I saw something ... like a weird shadow."

I squinted at the screen inquisitively. "Nah, I don't see anything, Chris ... maybe it's just your eyes playing tricks on you. These transitions _are_ pretty horrible."

Chris hesitated for a moment before responding. "Yeah ... maybe you're right." He turned his head towards me, nodding. "It must've just been the crappy quality. The Washington's really should consider investing in some new security cameras up here."

" _Hard to believe that none of them caught anything from last year..._ " I mentally mumbled. " _Dammit ... what in the hell happened to my friends?_ "

Just then, the sound of the cable car rolling into the station echoed loudly through the air. With no hesitation, Chris and I abandoned the control room, stepping out just in time to witness the doors slide open.

"Finally." Sam huffed. She watched as I immediately climbed into the cable car and took a seat before flicking her eyes over to Chris. "You coming?"

Chris rolled his eyes. "Well, I was just gonna stay here and catch some Zzzzz's, buuuut..." He raised his shoulders sarcastically. "Okay."

"Wise choice, Hartley." I quipped as I slipped my backpack off and settled it down on the floor.

Sammy entered the cable car and seated herself across from me.

Chris then walked up and took a moment to let his eyes flicker between the two of us before he entered. "Hm ... just like going to the prom." He said, removing his own bag before he sat down beside Sam.

I snickered. "Oh, sure. I don't recall our prom night limo ride being _anything_ like this, Chris."

My girlfriend lightly laughed, just as the cable car doors slid shut and locked the three of us in. Then, as it started ascending back up to the top of the mountain, the car shook a little and made me, Chris, and Sam sway in our seats. Thank Christ this thing was constantly examined and brought up to code anytime something about it seemed out of shape. Otherwise, I would've hiked all the way up to the lodge.

"Here we go!" Sam proclaimed with a large smile decorating her face.

"Yes!" I exclaimed, trying to rise up to the same level as excitement as her. "Washington Estate, here we come!"

"Right!" Chris concurred. He grinned at me and then at Sammy. "Adventure begins."

"Would this even count as an adventure?" I asked as I slumped back to get more comfortable. "We've been up to the lodge hundreds of times."

"Well, you know the saying, Russ." Chris raised a finger, speaking in a clever tone. "Everyday is a new adventure."

I turned my head and looked out one of the frost-covered windows of the cable car. "Mm-hm." I hummed out, taking in the incredible view.

Sam exhaled. "I hope this was the right thing to do."

"What?" Chris asked. He and I drew our attention over to her, me looking concerned and him appearing confused.

"You know, getting everyone together on the anniversary." Sammy explained with slight worry tainting her voice. "I mean, Josh seemed really pumped about us all doing something together, didn't he?"

"Yeah, no, he definitely did." The bespectacled teen waved his arm around, trying to reassure me and Sam. "I haven't seen him so excited about something in ... _forever._ "

Sam gave him an uncertain look before nodding. "Good, good..."

"I know exactly how you feel, Sammy." I piped up, resulting in her and Chris glancing over at me. "I'm concerned about Josh, too. What he's going through right now must be _horrible ..._ and I feel pretty guilty for not keeping in much contact with him ever since last year. I know that he's a tough guy and he hates asking for help, but ... Hannah, Beth, and Scott were his siblings. He must feel pretty out of it."

"Don't worry." Chris soothed. "He's ... he's pulling through."

Sam slightly shrugged at that statement. "It's hard to tell with him and I ... I've kinda been worried..." She pursed her lips, not being the type of person who openly admitted to being nervous about anything.

Chris shook his head. "No no, it was ... it was a good idea."

Sammy turned away from him to look out the window. "I hope everybody else feels the same way."

"Yeah, same here." I agreed with a faint nod. " _Otherwise, what in the hell is the point of all of us reuniting up here?_ "

"We're all here, aren't we?" Chris concluded, now shifted around so he could be staring out the window behind him and Sammy.

Small smiles molded across mine and Sam's lips.

"Thanks, bro." Sam said, trying to sound cool as she gave Chris's arm a friendly punch. "Good talk."

I groaned and pinched the bridge of my nose, massaging my scar. "Oh my God, Sammy." I lightly snorted. "That was ... that was _so_ cringe worthy."

A pale blush melted across my girlfriend's cheeks. "Oh, shut it, Russell." She chuckled and stuck her leg out, nudging my knee with the head of her boot.

Chris snickered at us. "You know what, let's just ... let's just stop talking about what happened and enjoy the trip." He suggested, gaining back the attention of me and Sammy. "Josh invited us all up here to have some fun ... so, let's do that for him. That's what ... that's what the triplets would want from all of us. To help their brother and ... whatnot."

Sam sighed. "You know what? You're right."

"Yeah." I huffed and rested my head against my hand. "Being up here again brings back enough memories as it is."

Chris offered a smile and changed the topic. "Do you two know how Josh and I met?"

"No...?" Sam and I answered simultaneously.

"Okay. Third grade." Our spectacle-eyed friend turned his body, beginning his story. "Josh sat in the back of the room, I sat in the front. We didn't even know each other existed." He paused for a split second to share some of his eye contact with me. "But the kid next to Josh started strap snapping the training bra on the girl in front of him, so the teacher made him move to the front - where _I_ was sitting!" He paused again, sweeping his attention back over to Sammy.

I furrowed my brow, trying to figure out something to respond with.

"Okay, so?" Sam asked with curiosity laced around her voice.

"So, I got moved to the back!" Chris exclaimed.

"And?" I inquired.

"And next to Josh! That's how we met!" The bespectacled teen chuckled, wearing a large grin. "And became friends. To _this_ day."

" _Best_ friends." I corrected, being a firm believer in there being a major difference between 'friends' and 'best friends.'

"A match made in Heaven." Sam commented at the exact same time, in a much similar tone.

"If it weren't for the fact that Jeanie Simmonds hit puberty, like, three years early and on _that_ day decided to wear a low-cut shirt that showed off her training bra," Chris exhaled, pretending to fix his glasses. "I mean, who knows? The two of you could be riding in this cable car alone. Right now. Or talking to some other person entirely. Boom: Butterfly Effect."

Sam nodded at him. "Very interesting."

"I know, right?" With a snicker, Chris shifted his focus back over to me and his eyes started to flicker with curiosity. "What about you, Russell?" He clarified the question when all he got from me was a confused stare. "How did, uh ... how did you and Scott meet?"

Just like that, the smile on Sam's face crumbled away and she elbowed Chris in the side, making him grunt. "Chris!" She hissed with worry starting to form across her features.

"Sorry, it sort of slipped out." Chris grumbled, rubbing where Sam's elbow had struck him. "If you don't want to answer, Russ, it's perfectly fi-"

I cut him off as casually as possible, also making a gesture for Sam to take it easy. "Nah, don't worry about it. I don't mind sharing." I said, mustering the tiniest smile in all of existence. "Scott and I ... we met on a bus."

As soon as my final word left my mouth, something - like realization - sparked across Sammy's eyes. She must've remembered back at the bus stop, just as we were about to board when I mentioned that it had been a long time since I'd last been on a bus.

Chris tilted his head like a confused puppy. "A bus?"

* * *

 _ **X Leave It There/Tell Story X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Tell Story**_

* * *

"Yeah." I looked out the window again, reliving the memories inside my head as I watched the trees shrink beneath us. "We were both six-years-old and our moms thought that we needed some time away from video games. So, they signed us up for Camp Saltwater ... a summer camp for children of all ages. My mom doused me in sunscreen, kissed me God knows how many times, and told me to have a great time. My dad practically had to pry her off of me with the jaws of life when the bus arrived and when I boarded ... I sat close to the back all by myself."

"Aw, Russ." Sam cooed, sounding both sympathetic and caught up in the oh-so-adorable mother/son moment that was described.

"The ride was expected to last at least two-and-a-half hours." I went on with the story. "For the first hour, I remained alone in my seat, listening to everyone else around me laughing with friends and singing the Camp Saltwater theme song ... but then, these three guys decided to close in on me. They looked about fifteen or sixteen. One slid into the seat in front of me, another sat across the aisle, and the last was behind me. They just started harassing me ... the one behind me wouldn't stop shoving me around in my seat and the other two kept yelling insults at me. I was scared to death and..." I exhaled and rolled my eyes. "Of course, being six, I started to cry from having my feelings hurt."

"Wow." Chris droned, evidently not impressed by the behavior of the three other guys. "Total ass-hats."

I nodded in agreement and turned to look at the two of them again. "Anyway, that's when somebody stepped up ... just as one of the guys started to taunt me about 'my mommy not being there to save me' and another one told me to 'shut my whiny ass up' ... another voice spoke up, ordering them to leave me alone. It was Scott, standing there in the aisle with a sharp glare on his face. The three guys immediately stood up, towering over him and ignoring the driver's orders to take a seat. One of them, who I guess was the leader, held up a fist, called Scott a pathetic little runt, and told him to sit his ass down unless he wanted to be next."

"How did Scott react to that?" Chris asked with his voice now tainted with curiosity.

A bitter smile curled up on the corners of my lips. "He punched all three of them with full force between the legs." I chuckled. "Those dumbasses collapsed to the floor and the bus driver pulled over, ordering Scott to take a seat beside me so he could 'think about what he did wrong' as she escorted the trio up to the front."

"That's all the driver did?" Sammy asked, surprised.

"What do you expect, babe?" I continued to snicker from the flashback. "It wasn't like she could kick us off the bus or anything. We were six."

Chris laughed. "Damn! Even back then, Scott refused to take bullshit from anyone!"

By this point, I could feel the sorrow starting to embed its way back into my system. Once again, the reality came back to remind me that this winter getaway wasn't gonna be like any of our past trips to the Washington Estate. Scott was gone, as well as Hannah and Beth ... and the chance of them ever being found, especially alive, was _very_ minimal.

"He really didn't." I agreed, looking down at my boots with a small sigh. "We introduced ourselves right there on the bus, talked the rest of the way to the camp, and for the following seven weeks, we had grown inseparable. Camp Saltwater turned out to be a hell of a lot more fun than I thought it would be and to this day, I sometimes find myself thinking back to it."

"Russell..." Sam said softly.

"I'm fine ... really, don't worry." I lifted my head back up and flashed a reassuring smile. "Let's just do our best in keeping this trip upbeat, okay? Dwelling on what happened last year ... it's not gonna get us anywhere. It's not what we're here for. So, like Chris said, let's stop talking about it and allow ourselves to have a good time."

"Right." The spectacle-eyed teen pursed his lips and gave me a long look before nodding. "But you know we're here for you in case ... you know, you need to talk."

"I know. Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it." I said, at which the cable car gave another small rattle. "Hey, it looks like we're about to dock."

* * *

 _ **& SCENE CHANGE&**_

 _ **JESSICA**_

 _ **UPPER CABLE CAR STATION**_

 _ **21:19**_

* * *

 **Jessica's POV**

" _Okay, this is it! This is **thee** weekend!_ " I mentally squealed as I stared at the lavender envelope that was in my hands. " _That's right, Jess. Within a couple of more hours, the time will **finally** arrive for you to lose your virginity to your hunk-a-licious beefcake!_ "

* * *

 _ **JESS - MIKE'S NEW GIRLFRIEND**_

 **CONFIDENT**

 **TRUSTING**

 **IRREVERENT**

* * *

 ** _JESSICA_ _KATHERINE RILEY_**

 ** _:/Character Traits/:_**

 ** _Honest: 7/10_**

 ** _Charitable: 2/10_**

 ** _Funny: 6/10_**

 ** _Brave: 4/10_**

 ** _Romantic: 8/10_**

 ** _Curious: 2/10_**

 ** _:/Relationship Status/:_**

 _ **Josh: 5/10**_

 _ **Russell: 4/10**_

 _ **Sam: 3/10**_

 _ **Emily: 2/10**_

 _ **Ashley: 3/10**_

 _ **Mike: 8/10**_

 _ **Matt: 4/10**_

 _ **Chris: 4/10**_

 _ **Lucas: 2/10**_

 _ **Ethan: 1/10**_

 _ **Chelsea: 2/10**_

* * *

Mike and I had been planning to have sex for months, but we never seemed to have the time. Between him having to juggle all of his responsibilities as Class President and me having no choice but to constantly babysit my annoying little twin brothers, we barely had any alone time together. But when Josh emailed us back in December about him throwing another party at his family's lodge, a bright ray of hope was cast upon me. For the first time in God knows how long, Mike and I had the chance to get away from our daily routines and have some fun - to a whole new level.

Don't get me wrong, I really did miss Beth, Hannah, and Scott ... but Mike and I are in love and we're more than likely _never_ going to get another opportunity like this. Up in a cozy lodge, surrounded by hundreds of snowy mountains, and most importantly ... far away from homework, my nosy brothers, and his disruptive parents. I couldn't imagine a better place to make love.

I had prepared myself for tonight the best that I could. The letter that I was holding was addressed to Mike, containing dozens of innuendos and a few creative ideas on what he could do to me the minute we finished settling into the lodge. Aside from that, I had pulled out the Daddy's Little Girl act and convinced my dad to buy me the outfit that I was wearing: a stone-blue jacket over a purple top, a tight ivory-white undershirt, and a pair of sexy jeans that I had purposely tugged down a bit to reveal a strip of my floral undies. I had even grown my hair out since last year and styled it into two Dutch braids to tie the whole outfit together.

Now, all I had left to do was wait for Mike and let the magic unravel itself from there.

Suddenly, over the sound of the sharp wind blowing, the loud clanks of the cable car reeling in broke through the air.

"Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. New people. Time to meet and greet." I muttered to myself, jumping up from the frigid bench that I'd been sitting on.

I started sauntering over to the door, wondering who could possibly-

 _BANG!_

I flinched, unable to hold back the startled gasp that immediately flew out of my mouth.

"What the hell?!" I sneered, rolling my eyes at the unexpected noise.

* * *

 **Russell's POV**

 ** _UPPER CABLE CAR STATION_**

 _ **21:17**_

I watched inquisitively as Chris groaned and rattled the knob, unable to get the door open.

"Chris, are you sure that there's no key for this door?" Sam asked from where she was nestled close to my side, trying to keep warm.

This Cable Car station was a hell of a lot colder and draftier than the previous one, courtesy of how it was built almost at the tippy-top of the mountain.

Chris huffed, still jiggling the doorknob. "Well, if there is, I'm afraid that I don't have it."

"Josh wouldn't have forgotten to give you a key if it was required for this door." I remarked, filling the air with multiple misty clouds from my breath. "There must be ... a button that has to be be pushed or a switch that needs to be flipped or something. Either way, there _has_ to be a way out of this thing." I looked around from where I was standing, unable to spot anything that could indicate a way to unlock the door.

Suddenly, the spectacle-eyed teen pulled his hand away from the doorknob and slipped off his backpack. "Here, hold this for a minute." He said as he tossed it back and watched as I caught it by one of the straps.

"Why? What for?" Sam questioned with utter confusion dripping from her voice. "What are you doing?"

"I'm gonna bust the door down." Chris replied, making it sound like the simplest task in all of humanity.

My lips instantly threatened to morph into a smile and I fought the urge to laugh. "What, are you serious?" I asked.

"Well, we have to get out of here and it's not like we have many options to choose from." Chris noted. He positioned his right leg in front of the other and turned himself slightly at the waist, readying himself. "Besides, Josh won't mind. His family is wealthy enough to replace a door, so that's nothing to worry about."

Sam looked down and pinched the bridge of her nose, making it obvious that she already had a pretty good idea on how this was going to end. "Oh boy..." She muttered under her breath. "All right, Chris ... go ahead and give it a try."

With a nod, our bespectacled friend took a couple of steps back and let out a battle cry as he charged for the door. Although, when he struck it with his bicep, the impact hardly produced any sound and the force sent Chris ricocheting back to where he'd previously been standing. With no hesitation, I flew my hand up to my mouth in an attempt to subdue my laughter and an amused smile broke out across my girlfriend's face.

"Ah, damn!" Chris groaned as he clutched his arm. "What in the hell is that door made of?!"

"Evidently, something hard. Are you okay?" Sammy asked, unable to resist snickering at least a tiny bit.

Chris sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine. I really thought that would work..." He shook his arm, trying to lessen the discomfort that was shooting through it.

"Hey, dude, don't worry about it. I think you were definitely onto something there." I chuckled and chucked Chris's bag back over to him. "Let me give it a shot."

"Be careful, Russ." Sam cautioned.

I took a few steps back, feeling the eyes of Sam and Chris following my every move. Then, after I drew in a steady breath, I bolted towards the door and shot my leg up, ramming the sole of my boot harshly against it just inches below the knob. A loud _BANG_ erupted through the air, and despite how the door _still_ didn't open, I had managed to trigger a startled gasp from somebody on the other side.

"What the hell?!" A familiar, very feminine voice bellowed. Yep, I definitely knew who that was...

Sam and Chris quickly raced over to the door, sandwiching me between them. The three of us peered out the surprisingly clear window.

"JESS! HEY!" Chris called out.

"JESSICA! OVER HERE!" Sam yelled next, waving her arm around.

"WE'RE IN HERE! JESSICA!" I hollered last, tapping my knuckles loudly against the door.

Within seconds, the face of Jessica Riley came into view on the other side of the glass. "Uh..." She spoke snootily, "are you guys having a really weird stroke?"

I rolled my eyes and grumbled, "Nice to see you too, Jess."

Chris attempted to turn the knob again, still with no luck. "We're stuck in this stupid thing." He informed the beige-blonde girl.

"Could you _please_ let us out?" Sam asked, pouting. "Pretty please?"

With a huff, Jessica lifted her hand and a bright shade of green beamed against her porcelain-white face as she pressed something. So, it _was_ a button that handled this door. Then, when Chris pulled the door open and strolled out of the station with me and Sam, Jess turned her back on us and started walking away. I pulled the door shut behind us, causing the green light to flicker back to red.

"Oh. My. God." Chris droned dramatically. "I thought we were goners. Another ten minutes in there and I would have chewed off my own leg."

I crinkled my nose in disgust, just as Sam cringed and shook her head. "Aw, sick, Chris." She murmured.

Chris turned to us. "Look, I got a lot of meat on my bones." He slid his hand down the fabric of his jeans and pat his leg. "This is all muscle down here."

Jessica snorted. She definitely hasn't changed since last year. She was still the same walking, talking, bitched-out version of Malibu Barbie ... but, on the bright side, at least she wasn't Emily.

"Yeah ... riiiight. Uh-huh." Sam dragged out, nodding sarcastically at the bespectacled teen.

Chris pointed at me, but kept his eyes locked on Sam. "Well, unless you would rather have Russell and his muscles go before me and my macho frame..." There was a teasing note in his voice.

"That's ... really gross, Chris." I retorted with my nose still wrinkled. "Never in a million years would I _ever_ consider the thought of going cannibalistic. Seriously, I would much rather starve than chow down on another person."

Sam nearly gagged at my choice of words and Chris shrugged, leaving the joke there. For a brief moment, nobody said a word.

"Bwip!" Chris suddenly exclaimed, snatching something out of Jessica's fingers. It looked like a sealed envelope.

The beige-blonde's face instantly morphed into a scowl. "Hey!" She cried.

"Chris!" Sammy objected.

"I'm just doing like Sam and Russell taught me." Chris informed, gesturing over to me and Sam with a smug grin on his face. "Other people's private thoughts are my own personal playground."

" _Do not_ be a jerk." Sam chided.

"Really, man?" I wrapped my arms around my girlfriend's waist and held her close, standing behind her. " _Do not_ drag us into this."

The spectacle-eyed teen raised a finger, signaling for us to quiet ourselves as he read to who the letter was addressed to. I swear, there was fire starting to flare up in Jessica's light green eyes.

"My goodness." Chris said in a sly tone. He looked around at the three of us and then back at the envelope. "Seems that someone has a lil' crush on our good friend and dear class president Michael Munroe."

"Chris-" Sam started.

"Aaand ... what kind of sizzling erotica might our Jessica be capable of imagining? I wonder...?" Chris placed a finger at the edge of the envelope, acting like he was getting ready to open it.

I narrowed my eyes a little in confusion. "Wait ... you guys don't know about...?"

* * *

 _ **X Insist (Give it back!)/Explain (I'm with Mike now...) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Explain**_

* * *

"Mike and Em split." Jess cut me off, explaining quickly. "We're together."

Sam was obviously caught off guard from hearing that. She took a small step back, seeming to forget for a moment that I was right there. So, she ended up bumping into my chest.

"Whoa." Chris droned, raising his eyebrows. "Drama."

Jessica scoffed. "Not really. Pretty clear-cut, actually. Em's out, I'm in."

"Huh." Sam breathed.

The beige-blonde placed her hand on her hip and flicked her gaze over to me. "I'm surprised that Scarface didn't tell either of you." She said with a hint of judgement embedded in her voice. "Lyla told me that he's known for about a month now."

Lyla was my first little sister - the junior in high school who, much to my dismay, hung out with Jess on a regular basis. The two of them constantly communicated over text message and they told each other practically everything. With her dirty mind, Jessica wasn't exactly the greatest role model for anyone to have - but as long as she didn't try convincing Lyla to have sex with anyone, I guess I could live with the two of them hanging out.

"I only found out because Lyla told me." I corrected, giving Jessica a slightly pointed look. She _always_ found ways to make me look like a bad guy. "She said that she saw a video that Emily had posted to her Instagram shortly after the breakup. I never bothered to watch it, but I guess it involved her flicking the camera off, cursing Mike out, and going off on a rampage of reasons as to why he was the worst boyfriend in the entire world."

"Ugh." Jess groaned and rolled her eyes. "She's such an attention whore."

I untangled my arms from around Sam's waist and started my way over to the edge of the peak, wanting to get away from the drama. So, with the remarkable view that was provided, I unzipped the little black bag that was at my hip and pulled my camera back out to take some more photos.

At the same time, Chris pursed his lips and, not knowing what else to do, waved the letter around. In return, Jessica stalked towards him and ripped it out of his hand with a glare plastered on her snobby face.

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Jessica's Relationship Status: Chris -1 (3/10)**

* * *

"All right, all right." Chris said, obviously trying to lessen the tension. "Let's just get up to the lodge already. Getting tired of all of this nature and junk."

I readjusted the focus on my camera and snapped a picture of the beautiful sea of mountains, right before I changed the angle to take another one.

"You guys go ahead, I'm just gonna wait here for a bit ... see who else is coming." Jessica sort of sang the last part, swooshing her hips in a flirtatious manner as she started strolling back over to the Cable Car station.

Chris peeked over his shoulder. "You mean Mike?" He crooned slyly.

"What?" Jess froze in her tracks and looked at him with a scarlet blush starting to burn across her cheeks. "I mean, you know, whoever." She shrugged simply and walked over to a bench, continuing to wag her butt with every step she took.

"Uh-huh." Chris said, unconvinced. "Sam? Russ?"

Sammy appeared at my side with her hands on her hips and a smile on her face. "Did you see this view?" She asked, clearly mesmerized. "I mean, _holy cow._ Sometimes I forget to just stop and take it all in ... unlike some people."

I grinned at her from the corner of my eye and chuckled, knowing that that last part was directed towards me.

"The up-and-coming photographer is at it again." Chris announced with a flourish. "Are you gonna be taking pictures the entire trip?"

"I don't know." I replied, smirking as I turned to face him. "Maybe I will, maybe I won't ... I guess it depends on whatever this weekend throws at us."

Chris snickered. "Well, if that's the case, I'll be sure to lock the door when I head to the bathroom to take a shower. The last thing I need is you popping in to 'capture the moment.'"

I stared at him like he had just grown a second head. "Yes, Chris, because I _totally_ want a picture of you all naked and soapy to haunt me for the rest of my life." I said with sarcasm dripping from each of my words.

The spectacle-eyed teen snorted. "Are you and Sam coming or not?"

"Yeah, yeah. Hold your horses. We're coming." I placed my camera back in its bag and zipped it up again. "See you later, Jess."

Jessica didn't say anything back. She didn't even look up from her phone, refusing to pay any attention to me, Chris, or Sam as the three of us started walking off in the direction of the lodge.

* * *

 ** _& SCENE CHANGE&_**

 ** _EMILY, MATT, AND CHELSEA_**

 ** _WASHINGTON LODGE GROUNDS_**

 ** _21:24_**

* * *

 **Chelsea's** **POV**

"Thank you, Matt." I said, offering him a grin as he held the squeaky gate open for me and his annoying-ass girlfriend.

Matt returned the smile and his dark brown eyes glimmered with that usual friendly glow. "No problem, Chels." He murmured low enough so Emily, the Queen of the Bitches, wouldn't hear him.

Even in the outfit that I was wearing, I was almost completely unaffected by the cold weather. A jade-green crop top advertising the lion logo from the band _Sheppard_ was at the base, accompanied by a dark red undershirt and a grey leather jacket. I also had on a knee-length skirt that was made out of denim fabric, some pitch-black leggings, and a pair of mahogany boots with stylish buckles. Lastly, fuzzy white earmuffs sat atop my head and I had silver dogtags suspending around my neck. They were a Christmas gift from Josh, given to me a month after he first asked me out. Both of them had engravings on them.

The first one read:

 _You're Always In My Heart. ;)_

And the second one:

 _Josh & Chelsea_

 _Forever & Ever_

 _December 25, 2015_

Needless to say, they were the greatest gift that I had ever received and I refused to go anywhere without them.

I walked through the gate, wheeling my leopard-print suitcase behind me and listening to the snow crunch beneath my feet as I peered up at the bushy treetops. The moonlight was pouring through the branches, making the path almost look silvery. I could practically feel it beaming against my caramel face as I paused in my tracks to wait for Matt and, unfortunately, Emily.

* * *

 _ **CHELSEA - MATT'S BEST FRIEND AND JOSH'S GIRLFRIEND**_

 **DECISIVE**

 **STRAIGHTFORWARD**

 **HELPFUL**

 *** _SPECIAL SKILL* - UNKNOWN_**

* * *

 _ **CHELSEA MADISON AMBERWOOD**_

 ** _:/Character Traits/:_**

 ** _Honest: 8/10_**

 ** _Charitable: 8/10_**

 ** _Funny: 6/10_**

 ** _Brave: 7/10_**

 ** _Romantic: 7/10_**

 ** _Curious: 6/10_**

 ** _:/Relationship Status/:_**

 _ **Josh: 10/10**_

 _ **Jessica: 3/10**_

 _ **Sam: 8/10**_

 _ **Emily: 2/10**_

 _ **Ashley: 6/10**_

 _ **Mike: 4/10**_

 _ **Matt: 9/10**_

 _ **Chris: 5/10**_

 _ **Lucas: 5/10**_

 _ **Ethan: 6/10**_

 _ **Russell: 8/10**_

* * *

Emily groaned, causing me to turn just in time to see her walking through the gate.

"Seriously, couldn't they have built the lodge, like, right where the cable car ends?" She complained as Matt secured the gate shut behind her.

* * *

 ** _EMILY - MIKE'S EX_**

 **INTELLIGENT**

 **RESOURCEFUL**

 **PERSUASIVE**

* * *

 ** _EMELINA HARPER DAVIS_**

 ** _:/Character Traits/:_**

 ** _Honest: 6/10_**

 ** _Charitable: 3/10_**

 ** _Funny: 2/10_**

 ** _Brave: 3/10_**

 ** _Romantic: 6/10_**

 ** _Curious: 5/10_**

 ** _:/Relationship Status/:_**

 _ **Josh: 5/10**_

 _ **Jessica: 3/10**_

 _ **Sam: 4/10**_

 _ **Russell: 2/10**_

 _ **Ashley: 3/10**_

 _ **Mike: 6/10**_

 _ **Matt: 7/10**_

 _ **Chris: 3/10**_

 _ **Lucas: 3/10**_

 _ **Ethan: 2/10**_

 _ **Chelsea: 1/10**_

* * *

I rolled my emerald green eyes and gestured to the wide-open space around us. "And risk ruining this beautiful setting?" I asked, not even trying to bite back on the judgement that was laced around my tone.

Emily shot me an icy glare, but before she could open her mouth to retaliate, Matt spoke up.

"She has a point, Em." He picked up his bag, as well as Emily's, and shook his shoulders in an attempt to reduce the strain. "I don't think it would have been, like, as pretty, you know?"

* * *

 ** _MATT - EMILY'S NEW BOYFRIEND_**

 **MOTIVATED**

 **AMBITIOUS**

 **ACTIVE**

* * *

 _ **MATTHEW ANTHONY TAYLOR**_

 ** _:/Character Traits/:_**

 ** _Honest: 7/10_**

 ** _Charitable: 6/10_**

 ** _Funny: 4/10_**

 ** _Brave: 4/10_**

 ** _Romantic: 6/10_**

 ** _Curious: 7/10_**

 ** _:/Relationship Status/:_**

 _ **Josh: 6/10**_

 _ **Jessica: 4/10**_

 _ **Sam: 5/10**_

 _ **Emily: 7/10**_

 _ **Ashley: 4/10**_

 _ **Mike: 3/10**_

 _ **Russell: 7/10**_

 _ **Chris: 5/10**_

 _ **Lucas: 6/10**_

 _ **Ethan: 3/10**_

 _ **Chelsea: 9/10**_

* * *

Emily shook her head, clearly not taking Matt's words into consideration. "And where's the bellboy when you need one?" She demanded as she walked right past me like I didn't exist.

I scoffed and shot daggers at her back. "Oh, you've _got_ to be kidding me..." I grumbled, right before I turned my head to look at my lifetime best friend. "Tell me again, why in the hell is she complaining so damn much? It's not like _she's_ carrying any of the luggage or bothering to lift a finger in any shape or form."

Matt sighed, shaking his head. "Come on, Chels. Don't start on that, please."

"Don't start on what?" I asked, gripping the handle of my suitcase a little tighter. "I'm just saying that I think you deserve somebody better than her ... you know, someone who _doesn't_ treat you like a mindless toy or accessory."

Matt rolled his shoulders again, walking alongside me as we began up the trail after his girlfriend. "Emily's just as passionate about me as I am about her. She's just complicated, that's all." He said, making it sound like it was no big deal.

I rolled my eyes again. "She's not complicated. She just likes getting away with acting like a complete bitch."

"Hey." Matt looked at me and flicked his eyebrows up in dead seriousness.

"Sorry." I muttered.

I didn't have the slightest clue as to why or how he had feelings for someone like Emily, but he did. Although, despite how strong my rivalry with the Asian was, Matt was like the big brother that I never had and I was willing to stay out of his business with this relationship if it really made him happy. Our moms had met in one of those "Mommy and Me" programs, so the two of us had literally been in each other's lives ever since we were in diapers. It wasn't Matt that I was cautious about though - it was Emily. She scavenged Matt up almost immediately after Mike dumped her and the last thing I wanted to see was my best friend get hurt by this wannabe diva.

I'm not gonna lie, she had her good moments in which she asked Matt to go on a walk or cuddle with her just to keep her company. I've seen her engage in plenty of passionate and almost entirely meaningful conversations with him, especially after the triplets disappeared. Unfortunately, ninety-nine percent of the time, she was nothing but a demanding, possessive, prissy bitch who acted like she deserved to be crowned queen of the universe. In my eyes, she had a massive stick up her ass and only removed it when she was getting her way. To make a long story short: I hated her ... probably not as much as Russell, but I really did.

"Brr ... gettin' chills." Emily trembled, rubbing her hands up and down the sleeves of her black leather jacket.

"We're almost there-" Matt began. For a short moment, he sat Emily's pink bag down in the snow and shook his hand, trying again to lessen the strain. Then, he lifted it back up and continued walking.

Emily cut him off. "No, I mean ... gettin' kinda creeped out."

I straightened my lips and looked around, silently agreeing with her. This mountain might've been beautiful, but ever since the incident that happened with Hannah, Scott, and Beth ... there was something about it that sent chills down my spine. It even felt like there were eyes following me, Emily, and Matt ... but that must've just been paranoia. After all, it was getting late and this was the first time in a year that anybody's been up here.

"Oh." Matt said a little awkwardly as we approached an old bridge that was built over a skinny river. "Yeah."

"Gonna be weird seeing everyone up here again." Emily commented.

"Especially since tonight's the anniversary." I incorporated, sounding partially uneasy.

Matt sighed. "Definitely not gonna feel like a regular party."

I walked between him and Emily, trying to forget about last year as I pulled my suitcase along. Maybe if I hadn't fallen asleep, I would've been able to stop the stupid prank from happening. Maybe Hannah never would've ran off into the snow storm and she, along with Beth and Scott, would be here with us on this trip. If only I hadn't past out from exhaustion ... I'm pretty sure that I could've done something to prevent it all. To this day, that part of my mind was still drowning in guilt.

Emily, Matt, and I started walking across the bridge, listening to wheels of my suitcase as they creepily rolled across the floorboards behind us.

"I mean, what do you two think-" Matt started.

"RAAAAAAWWRRRRR!" A scream suddenly erupted through the air and a figure leaped down from the rotted roof of the bridge, landing directly in front of us.

With a yelp, Matt stumbled back a couple of steps and threw his arms up, ready to fight. At the same, out of total reflex, I quickly released the handle of my suitcase, reached into the pocket of my sleek leather jacket, and flipped out my nine-inch switchblade as a startled yell escaped from my throat. And lastly, Emily released a much more terrified shriek, looking like she was about to take off running in the direction that we'd already came.

Then, as the figure before us started to crack up, my eyes widened at the realization at who it was.

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Chelsea Character Traits: Brave -1 (6/10)**

 **Matt Character Traits: Brave -1 (3/10)**

 **Emily Character Traits: Brave -1 (2/10)**

* * *

"Whoa! Dude!" Matt exclaimed, angry as he finally recognized who the laughter belonged to.

"Holy crap!" I proclaimed at the exact same time.

"JESUS!" Emily also cried.

It was only Mike, decked out in a flannel jacket, the dark blue padded vest that Beth had given to him as a Secret Santa gift last Christmas, and a plain pair of jeans. He gasped, trying to catch his breath as he clapped his hands together and stepped back into a curtain of moonlight to reveal himself better.

* * *

 ** _MIKE - EMILY'S EX_**

 **INTELLIGENT**

 **DRIVEN**

 **PERSUASIVE**

* * *

 _ **MICHAEL GREY MUNROE**_

 ** _:/Character Traits/:_**

 ** _Honest: 5/10_**

 ** _Charitable: 5/10_**

 ** _Funny: 6/10_**

 ** _Brave: 7/10_**

 ** _Romantic: 8/10_**

 ** _Curious: 3/10_**

 ** _:/Relationship Status/:_**

 _ **Josh: 5/10**_

 _ **Jessica: 8/10**_

 _ **Sam: 5/10**_

 _ **Emily: 6/10**_

 _ **Ashley: 4/10**_

 _ **Russell: 7/10**_

 _ **Matt: 2/10**_

 _ **Chris: 3/10**_

 _ **Lucas: 4/10**_

 _ **Ethan: 5/10**_

 _ **Chelsea: 6/10**_

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Chelsea's Relationship Status: Mike -1 (3/10)**

 **Emily's Relationship Status: Mike -1 (5/10)**

 **Matt's Relationship Status: Mike -1 (2/10)**

 **Mike's Character Trait: Funny +1 (8/10)**

* * *

Mike held his hands up, as if to show us that he wasn't armed, and then doubled over in laughter. "You guys!" He gasped out, snickering.

"MICHAEL!" Emily and I simultaneously snarled.

"Damn you, Munroe!" I added immediately after.

Mike pointed at us. "You really, _really_ should have seen your faces right there."

Matt lowered his fists and sneered. "Dude, I almost clocked you just now."

"Nice one." Mike said, looking up at the sky with a large smile on his face as he congratulated himself.

Emily rolled her hazel eyes. "Michael, you're a jerk." She said in a matter of fact tone.

"A _major_ asshole." I contributed, still clutching the handle of my blade as I scowled at the Class President. "Seriously, Mike, you better consider yourself lucky that I'm not scalping you with this thing right now. You're the _worst._ "

Mike scoffed, holding his arms out to us. "Come on, guys, we're all friends here, right? No need for violence, just a little harmless fun!" He rationalized in the most charming tone that he could offer. "We're up in the woods! It's spooky! Come on, let's get into the spirit of things."

I narrowed my eyes at him. He had lost me at the phrase 'just a little harmless fun,' considering I had learned from somebody else in the group that he'd tricked Russell into participating in the prank by telling him the exact same thing. How in the hell did this guy expect me to trust him?

Matt flicked his attention between me, Emily, and Mike, seeming to already know that this wasn't going to end well.

"The spirit of things? Seriously? What's wrong with you?" Emily pestered condescendingly.

"Lots of things, probably." I muttered.

Mike scoffed again, sounding almost insulted. "I'm just trying to lighten the mood, girls." He raised an eyebrow at us. "Don't be like that."

"Like what?" Emily demanded with a warning look plastered on her face.

"The way you're both being." Mike replied like it should've been obvious. "The two of you _always_ get like this."

Danger electrocuted through my eyes. "Listen, Munroe," I growled, instantly gaining his attention, "I usually don't give a shit what people say about me, but from here on out, you better think twice before _ever_ comparing me to a rag doll like _this._ " I pointed my thumb at Emily, making her gasp like that was the worst insult that someone could ever receive.

Mike chuckled again. "Well, well, what do you know? Looks like Josh's kitty has claws." He made a motion with his hand that was supposed to represent a cat clawing at something. "Meow! What a fiery little pussy cat!"

I groaned and held up my hand, signaling for him to stop. "Don't you have a prostitute's tongue to go choke on or something?" I asked carelessly. "Seriously, you're getting on my last nerves and the trip hasn't even started yet. That must be some sort of new record for you."

Mike's amusement didn't falter. If anything, it increased ... and I knew exactly why. He, being the youngest out of three other boys, used me as an opportunity to fill in the blank as a little sister. It irritated the hell out of me, mostly because Matt already had that spot in my life filled and Mike often took things too damn far.

Matt pursed his lips, obviously trying to figure out what to do to defuse the situation.

* * *

 _ **X Threaten (Back off, Mike)/Welcome (We're all friends here) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Welcome**_

* * *

"Michael..." Matt spoke up as calmly as possible. "I'm just gonna lay it out, otherwise this whole weekend's gonna suck ass for everyone." He looked over at me and Emily, right before he locked his attention back on Mike. "Um ... this is super awkward and we all know it. Let's just acknowledge it now and move on. Okay?"

"Matt-" Emily attempted to speak, making it sound like he had - yet again - done something wrong.

The Class President tapped his ear. "I hear ya, man. I get it, I don't want to make this weird."

"Cool." Matt said, nodding in approval. "But I think you should ... you know, apologize to Chelsea. She's up here for the same reasons as the rest of us, so calling her out on her new relationship like that..."

He trailed off, just as Emily shot him a disapproving glance from the corner of her eye. She crinkled her nose and silently growled at how her boyfriend had backed me up instead of her. Like I said, our rivalry was strong and she was constantly on the watch for other girls hanging around Matt - especially me since I was the one who spent most of my life with him. But Matt and I were just friends and that's all we would ever be, despite the prior phase that our parents went through in wanting us to grow up and fall in love with each other.

Mike nodded, still tapping his ear. "Right, right. I get it, man." He then swept his attention back over to me, still wearing that annoying grin. "I'm sorry, Chels."

* * *

 _ **X Accept Apology/Reject Apology X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Accept Apology**_

* * *

"Yeah, yeah." I breathed, rolling my eyes as I slipped my switchblade back into my pocket. "Whatever, Mike. Apology accepted."

"All right." Matt said. He glanced back at Mike. "So, we're good?"

"All good." Mike confirmed.

Emily placed her hand on her hip, looking bored. "You guys gonna make out now?" She jeered.

Matt rolled his eyes, but Mike wrapped his arms around himself and swooshed his hips as he replied in a fake gay voice, "Oh my God, totally! We're sooooo gonna make out!"

I groaned and looked down at the ground, causing plenty of my auburn curls to fall in front of my face. "Oh, lord..." I mumbled under my breath, shaking my head.

"Uh ... no." Mike straightened himself back up and stared at Emily, unimpressed. "Seriously, I'm gonna go check on the cable car back down the trail."

"Try not to get eaten by any bears." I quipped. "And don't go wandering into any mysterious caves."

The Class President chuckled. "No promises, Amberwood." He slid past me and the Asian, beginning his way down the bridge.

"See ya, man." Matt said. As friendly as he was, it was obvious that he wanted Mike to get as far away from us as possible in order to keep Emily from exploding.

"See ya." Mike shot his arms up over his head, as if he was striding down the red carpet. "See ya!"

" _Well, thank God that's over._ " I huffed internally, grabbing the handle of my suitcase again. I started walking again, just as Matt picked his own bag up and shook off some of the snow that now anointed it.

"Ah, crap." Emily suddenly blurted out. I instantly stopped and turned to see what the hold up was.

"What?" Matt asked.

Emily peered down the bridge and then turned to face him. "Hey, could you take these the rest of the way?" She requested.

I cocked an eyebrow at her and treated the handle of my suitcase like an armrest, obviously confused.

"The bags?" Matt asked, bewildered.

"Yeah, just ... all the bags." Emily replied.

"Uh..." The jock turned, making brief eye contact with me before glancing back at his girlfriend. "Why?"

Emily looked back again, starting to look nervous. "I need to go find Sam." She said eventually.

"What?" I questioned with my voice drenched in suspicion. " _Why in the hell can't she just wait to meet up with Sam at the lodge?_ "

"Okay...?" Matt said at the exact same time.

Emily started to speak much more quickly. "Sorry, I just, I really need to go find her. I totally forgot I needed to talk to her before we get all the way up there."

"This really can't wait?" Matt asked with a frown. "We're almost there."

"It's important." Emily insisted, looking at him almost desperately. "Matt, please."

The jock hesitated and glanced around, getting a good look of the woods surrounding us.

* * *

 _ **X Agree (Okay, Chelsea and I will go.)/Persist (We're not leaving you alone.)**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Persist**_

* * *

"Em..." Matt began with a somewhat nervous glint in his eyes. "I really don't think you should head back down the trail by yourself-"

"Seriously?" Emily demanded, causing me to cross my arms and emit a low whistle.

Matt revised quickly. "It's cold out and it's getting dark-"

Sarcasm invaded the Asian's tone. "The two of you are gonna protect me from it getting dark out?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose and groaned harshly. "You know, drama queen, if you would just shut your pie hole for a second and actually listen for a change-"

Matt cut me off, not wanting to stir up anymore tension. "Chelsea and I will just leave your stuff here and come with you." He sat his luggage down beside hers. "Nobody's gonna steal it-"

Emily rolled her eyes at the mention of my name and kept her attention locked only on Matt. "Matt, are you kidding me?" She complained. "You can't leave me alone for _five minutes?_ You really think that little of me?"

"Oh my God, I can't believe this bullshit right now..." I muttered low enough so nobody else could hear me, still massaging the bridge of my nose. By this point, I could feel my temples starting to throb from the amount of aggravation that I was feeling.

Matt sighed. "That's not what I meant-"

Emily interrupted him _again._ "Why can't you just listen to me? Why do you have to question _everything_ I say?"

"I'm sorry, Em." The jock held his hands up in an attempt to calm her down. "I'm just trying to be helpful."

"If you want to be helpful, then you and Miss Amberwood over there can help get everything up to the lodge as quickly as you can." Emily ordered. "Okay?"

The glare on my face darkened from the amount of scorn that was dripping from her voice when she said my surname. " _I swear, this bitch is **so** lucky that Matt is here with us right now._" I growled inside my head. " _She better hope and pray that the two of us never end up in a situation alone together._ "

Matt huffed, evidently not knowing what else to say. "Um ... okay ... fine. Whatever you want." He gave in, reaching down to pick up both of the bags.

"Thank you." Emily said in a much sweeter tone that made me want to backhand her. "I'll see you both up there after I go find Sam."

"See you in a bit." Matt mumbled.

I watched as Emily planted a kiss against her fingertips and blew it in his direction, right before she gave me the stink eye and began walking down in the direction that we'd already came. I folded my arms again, keeping my eyes on her figure as it grew smaller the further she headed. I didn't know what she was up to, but I had this feeling in my gut that it didn't involve her needing to speak with Sam. After all, Emily was a pro when it came to lying and just the thought of her trying to sneak something behind Matt's back _really_ irked me.

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Chelsea's Relationship Status: Emily -1 (1/10)**

 **Matt's Relationship Status: Emily -1 (6/10)**

 **Matt's Character Traits: Charitable +1 (7/10)**

* * *

"Hey, Chels." Matt gently nudged me with one of the bags, making me snap out of my thoughts. "Come on, we're gonna freeze out here if we don't get up to the lodge."

I raised my eyebrows at him, keeping my arms crossed over my chest.

"What?" Matt asked when all I did was stand there and look at him. I raised my eyebrows a little more, still not saying anything. " _What?_ " Matt asked again, growing more confused by the minute.

I groaned. "I said it a million times before and I will say it again, Matt." With Emily no longer in sight, I pointed down the bridge and spoke slowly like I was talking to a preschooler. "She ... treats you ... like shit."

"Chelsea-" Matt sighed.

"No, no. I'm serious." I couldn't help but cut him off, placing my hands on my hips with a fiery glow in my eyes. "It's like watching a dog getting yanked around constantly by its junk."

The jock rolled his eyes and peeked up at the sky. "I see you're still as straightforward as ever." He murmured.

I huffed, taking that as a compliment since I was actually proud of being blunt. In my opinion, there were far too many people in the world who were too sappy and fixated on trying to please everyone. I'm not saying that I never watched my mouth, but _I am_ saying that I keep on top of telling people what they need to hear. If they don't accept it when it's told to them the easy way, then they brought the hard way out on themselves.

"Look, I'm sorry ... I'm just trying to look out for you." I said in a much more sincere tone. "We're best friends and that's what best friends do for each other. I know you would do the same for me."

"Well, of course I would." Matt confirmed. "But you're dating Josh. He wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone another person."

"I know ... but Emily is the complete opposite. Unlike Josh, who is constantly willing to make sacrifices for his friends, Emily doesn't give a crap to help anyone but herself. That is, unless she's actually getting something out of it." I looked up at my best friend almost pleadingly. "I just don't like seeing her treat you like you're a second-class citizen. You deserve to be happy."

"And I _am_ happy." Matt reassured. He offered me one of his good-natured grins. "You don't need to worry about me, Chels. I'm a big boy, all right? I can handle my relationship with Emily just fine. Now, let's keep in mind that Josh invited us up here to have some fun ... you know, in memory of Hannah, Beth, and Scott." His smile trembled on his last sentence and I couldn't help but cringe at the numbing thought of the triplets lying around dead somewhere.

"Yeah ... yeah, you're right." I said, nodding almost reluctantly. "We better hurry up to the lodge. I really want to see Josh and make sure that he's doing okay. Same with Russell." I grabbed the handle of my suitcase again and continued hiking along the trail with Matt at my side, carrying both his and Emily's bags.

"I'm really going to miss you next year, you know?" Matt said about a minute later, completely out of the blue.

I flashed him a sympathetic smile. I was following in my dad's footsteps at becoming a marine and I'd already been sworn in. So, after graduation, I was expected to leave to attend to my duties.

"I know, I'm gonna miss you and the rest of the gang, too ... but the freedom we have comes with a price and I'm willing to pay it." I exhaled and looped my hands through the straps of Matt's bag, taking it from him so he would only have to deal with Emily's luggage.

"Chelsea, you really don't-" Matt attempted to speak.

"It's fine, don't worry about it. I insist." I interrupted him, smiling again. "Now, haul that ass of yours so we can make it up to the lodge before we die of old age, meathead."

Matt lightly shoved me in the arm. "Who are you calling meathead?" He laughed.

I snickered with him and the two of us started taking much more brisk steps up the path.

* * *

 _ **& SCENE CHANGE&**_

 _ **ASHLEY AND LUCAS**_

 _ **WASHINGTON GROUNDS VIEWING PLATFORM**_

 _ **21:32**_

* * *

 **Ashley's POV**

"Ohh..." I breathed, not believing how incredible the view looked through the binoculars.

The wind whistled through the air and danced through the millions of dead trees that were dusted with frost. The ground was covered in an never-ending blanket of pure white snow and a gentle shower of flakes was currently sprinkling down from the sky. It was almost like looking around inside of a gigantic snow globe, and at that moment, I couldn't help but envy Russell. He _always_ had a camera on him and I only had my phone ... which had died shortly after I arrived due to how I'd forgotten to charge it the night before.

* * *

 _ **ASHLEY - HAS A CRUSH ON CHRIS AND SCOTT'S EX**_

 **ACADEMIC**

 **INQUISITIVE**

 **FORTHRIGHT**

* * *

 _ **ASHLEY MARIE BROWN**_

 ** _:/Character Traits/:_**

 ** _Honest: 7/10_**

 ** _Charitable: 6/10_**

 ** _Funny: 3/10_**

 ** _Brave: 4/10_**

 ** _Romantic: 3/10_**

 ** _Curious: 8/10_**

 ** _:/Relationship Status/:_**

 _ **Josh: 4/10**_

 _ **Jessica: 3/10**_

 _ **Sam: 4/10**_

 _ **Emily: 3/10**_

 _ **Russell: 6/10**_

 _ **Mike: 3/10**_

 _ **Matt: 5/10**_

 _ **Chris: 7/10**_

 _ **Lucas: 8/10**_

 _ **Ethan: 5/10**_

 _ **Chelsea: 6/10**_

* * *

I was just about to look back into the binoculars when something else grabbed my attention. It was the lyrics to some nasty rock and roll song, blaring so loudly through the air that I could've sworn that all of the animals on the other side of the mountain could hear them as clear as day. With a slight groan, I spun around on my heels and rested my hands on my hips as my dark green eyes fell on Lucas.

He was across from me on the opposite side of the platform, sitting on top of the stone wall with his shoulders slumped against the pillar and legs stretched out as far as they could go in front of him. Of course, he was plugged into his iPod and tuning out all of the nature around him. His head was tilted back and his eyes were closed, giving it away that he was trying to relax.

I couldn't help but sigh, feeling sorry for him.

A lot's happened over the past year. Luke's parents divorced shortly after the previous winter getaway and his grandfather offered to take custody of him, but Lucas refused to cooperate. So, he moved in with me and my parents. Not only that, but he wasn't anywhere near the same guy as he used to be. His entire personality had changed, as well as his appearance.

It all started with his hair: he grew it out to give it more of a wild, floppy look and dyed it pitch-black. After that, he actually ditched school to get snake bites and he began wearing so much eyeliner to the point where he could've been mistaken for a raccoon. He also got into the habit of smoking a lot more frequently and he wasn't afraid to get in other people's faces under any circumstances. In shorter terms: he had transformed himself into the stereotypical, moody, emo teenager.

Tonight, Luke's outfit consisted of black converse and a pair of black skinny jeans that completely exposed his knees through the gaping rips in the fabric. Also, he had on a snug black T-shirt that had the image of a skull printed on it and a black aviator jacket to protect him from the nippy weather. In fact, the only items that he had on that weren't black were his olive-green, fingerless gloves and his orange beanie that was designed to look like an angry jack-o-lantern. Then, at last, there was his creepy metal skull ring that decorated the middle finger of his right hand.

"Hey, Lucas!" I called out, trying to get his attention without overreacting like a crazy person. "Lucas! Hellooo? Can you hear me?"

He showed no response of being able to hear me, which wasn't much of a surprise since I could hear his music. He continued to rock his feet from side to side, following the beat that was being pounded into his eardrums.

With a groan, I knelt down and picked up a small stone. Then, after standing back up, I chucked it at Lucas and watched as it tapped against his knee before falling back down to the wooden floor. With no hesitation, he popped his electric blue eyes open and turned his head in my direction. He took a moment to just stare at me, unimpressed as I waved at him.

* * *

 ** _LUCAS - ASHLEY'S OLDER COUSIN_**

 **SARCASTIC**

 **HOSTILE**

 **DEFENSIVE**

 _ ***SPECIAL SKILL* - STEALTH**_

* * *

 ** _LUCAS JONATHAN MITCHELL_**

 ** _:/Character Traits/:_**

 ** _Honest: 9/10_**

 ** _Charitable: 5/10_**

 ** _Funny: 3/10_**

 ** _Brave: 8/10_**

 ** _Romantic: 2/10_**

 ** _Curious: 4/10_**

 ** _:/Relationship Status/:_**

 _ **Josh: 6/10**_

 _ **Jessica: 1/10**_

 _ **Sam: 5/10**_

 _ **Emily: 2/10**_

 _ **Ashley: 8/10**_

 _ **Mike: 1/10**_

 _ **Matt: 4/10**_

 _ **Chris: 3/10**_

 _ **Russell: 7/10**_

 _ **Ethan: 4/10**_

 _ **Chelsea: 5/10**_

* * *

Lucas plucked out both earbuds, one at a time. "Can I help you, Ash?" He asked, sounding just as sullen as he looked.

"You know, you're gonna make yourself deaf if you keep listening to your music like that." I remarked.

Lucas scoffed. "Well, anything is better than listening to all of these damn birds chirping." He snatched his iPod up from his lap and lowered the volume until I could no longer hear whatever song it was that he was listening to.

"Haven't you ever considered, like, putting your iPod away and enjoying the outdoors for a change?" I questioned, gesturing to the wide-open scenery that surrounded us. "I mean, I know you're not exactly a fan of nature, but there's nothing wrong with getting out and taking a break from your daily routine every once in awhile."

"I like my daily routine just the way it is." Lucas retorted as he started to fiddle around with his device again.

My shoulders drooped when he said that. " _Playing hooky, smoking cigarettes,_ _and locking yourself in your room isn't a daily routine, Luke. It's a cry for help._ " I sighed inwardly, unable to figure out why it was so difficult for me to say that out loud.

"Well, we have an amazing view from up here. Why don't you take a look through the binoculars?" I asked, motioning to them with a speck of hope embedded in my tone. "You never know what you might see."

Lucas looked at me like I'd just attempted walking through a wall. "You _really_ think I want to waste my time in staring at a bunch of dead trees and icicles? Up here, I'm pretty sure that the most interesting thing that we would have the chance at spotting would be a couple of squirrels or foxes humping each other." He huffed and shook his head, making it seem like he was offended by the suggestion. "I think I'll take my chances and pass on that _exciting_ offer, Ash." Sarcasm dripped from his voice at the word 'exciting.'

I rolled my eyes and muttered, "Fine. Your loss."

Unfazed and bored, Luke rested his head back against the pillar and stared up at the rundown roof above us. I, on the other hand, turned back around to the binoculars and began a search for any animals. Hopefully, if I did spot any, they would be scavenging for food or simply wandering around instead of getting down to business with each other like Lucas had said. Unfortunately, every time I shifted the binoculars around, I had no luck in spotting any deer, birds, or anything. Just a bunch of trees, rocks, and snow.

Suddenly, Lucas spoke up again. "Remind me again why we _actually_ agreed to come back to this mountain in the first place."

I quickly spun around to face him again, almost startled by his words. "Because Josh invited us all back for the annual winter getaway and we owe it to him after..." A chill ran down my spine and I shuddered, "...after what happened." Just thinking about it made my heart ache.

Lucas dropped his attention down to the holes in his jeans and for a brief second, I could've sworn there was a sliver of a frown on his face. "Are you sure you're not here because of Chris?" He asked, suddenly sounding judgmental and moody.

"What?!" An intense blush exploded across my face and I didn't know whether I felt more shocked or more hurt. "Luke, I ... I can't believe you just said that!"

My cousin rolled his eyes and groaned. "Well, can you _blame_ me?" He inquired. "You _do_ spend practically every moment of your life with him."

"We're _study partners!_ All we ever do when we're with each other is _study!_ " I exclaimed. "And no, I'm _not_ here because of him!"

Lucas didn't bother saying anything back, but the look on his face gave it away that he wasn't one hundred percent convinced. To be fair, Chris _was_ the one who informed me on the trip back in early December, shortly after one of our study sessions at the library. Beforehand, I had failed to check my email and see Josh's invitation - but that didn't mean that I was only here because Chris was coming, too.

I loved Lucas, but he could say the most irritating things. Sometimes, I just wished that he would keep his opinions to himself.

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Ashley's Relationship Status: Lucas -1 (7/10)**

* * *

I sighed, deciding to put a more sentimental view on the conversation. "If we're being honest ... I have never once pictured myself returning to the lodge after what happened last year. I'm _still_ having a very difficult time believing that Scott, Beth, and Hannah are still missing ... let alone accepting it." I reached my hand up and placed it gently beneath my throat, where the necklace that Scott had given me just a week before he disappeared was buried underneath my pink wool scarf. "But Josh is my friend just as much as he is yours, Luke ... and it's our job as good friends to check in on him and be at his side in case he needs us."

Lucas straightened his lips, making his snake bites shimmer in the moonlight. I couldn't stand staring at those things for too long. They made my skin crawl, as well as the mental picture of him sitting still while a needle was being driven through his flesh.

"If I didn't give a damn about Josh, I wouldn't have dragged my ass back here." Luke said, keeping his tone emotionless as he twirled a loose thread from his shirt around his index finger. "It must be unreal ... loosing his siblings to death like that."

At the word 'death,' I cringed and felt the inside of my chest swell with dread.

"I mean, I know you still have hope or whatever that they're still alive, but..." Lucas trailed off to retrieve a carton of cigarettes from his pocket. "It's time to face the facts so we can move on and find closure. We searched for Hannah, Scott, and Beth for weeks after they disappeared, but none of us found nothing. The police searched for the three of them for _months,_ but also found nothing. Now, it's been a year without a trace ... and as hard as it is to accept, whether we like it or not, the triplets are gone and they're never coming back. Hate to be the burden of bad news, but ... life is shitty." Luke finished his blunt lecture off by placing a cigarette between his lips and lighting it up.

" _Tell me about it._ " I thought to myself. " _I'm pretty sure that a piece of me is still in love with Scott ... and Luke's right. He's more than likely dead._ "

As cheesy as it might've sounded, Scott really was my first love - the one who had taken my virginity in a full night of passion. I had dated a couple of guys before him, but none of them had given me the special feeling that he did ... and now, I felt almost guilty for having a crush on Chris. Even though Scott was gone, this trip was supposed to be in memory of him, Beth, and Hannah ... and it's not like Chris liked me like that anyway.

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Lucas's Character Trait: Honest +1 (10/10), Charitable -1 (4/10)**

* * *

"You know, you shouldn't smoke so much." I said, desperate to change the topic. "It can make you very sick."

Lucas relaxed his eyes shut and took a drag, making me grimace. Then, after holding it in for a few seconds, he blew out a perfect smoke ring.

"Yeah, yeah." My cousin waved his hand at me dismissively, preparing himself for another intake. "I've heard it all before, Nurse Brown."

Groaning, I turned my back on him and looked back into the binoculars. That's when I saw something that I didn't expect: Mike and Emily, alone and hidden away in the shadows, talking. Although, judging by how they were trailing their hands all over each other, it looked more like they were in the middle of flirting. My jaw dropped at the sight and I zoomed in, secretly hoping and praying that I wasn't about to witness them undress each other.

"Whoa ... hello..." I mumbled under my breath, watching as Mike delicately grabbed Emily's face. "Somebody's getting a little 'friendly' ... and _not_ in the 'friend zone' kind of way. They might need to check the expiration date on their big breakup."

Emily took a step closer to Mike as he continued to caress her cheeks and I zoomed out, not wanting to see anymore.

Then, just as I was about to move the binoculars away, a pair of brown eyes popped up in the lens and a fearless yell punctured the air.

I practically jumped ten feet high and a small shriek escaped from my lips. At the same time, Lucas swung his body in the direction of the commotion and let out a startled scream that was just as loud as mine. He looked like he was just about ready to leap off from the wall and tackle whoever was there ... but then, at the sound of a familiar laugh, he seeped back against the edge in a mixture of relief and anger.

"Oh, God!" I breathed, taking a step away with my hand placed over my heart. "God!"

"Whoa! Sorry there ... sorry about that, Ash, I didn't mean to scare you-" Matt began as he stepped up onto the platform with a huge grin on his face.

"Jeez louise, Matt-" I moaned, trying to calm down from the unexpected fright.

"Well, I did mean to scare you - 'sort of' scare you..." He backtracked when I shot him a glare, "...but not like for real scare you..."

Luke shot daggers at the ground and rose his joint back up to his mouth, taking in an even deeper inhale.

I placed my hands on my hips, seething at the jock. "Oh my gosh ... oh my gosh..." I shoved him in the shoulder, at which he placed his hand on _my_ shoulder to try reducing my irritation.

"Hey, wow, man, I'm really sorry, Ash, damn-" Matt said with genuine regret laced around his tone.

I shook my head and sighed. "It's okay ... it's fine ... it's fine." I said, accepting the apology. "Where's Chelsea? Isn't she supposed to be with you?"

"She was earlier, but she decided to go on ahead and carry the luggage up to the lodge." Matt replied, and I nodded understandingly.

"Hey, Matthew." Lucas spoke up with smoke leaking out of his mouth. "Just out of curiosity, was that little joke of yours really necessary?"

Matt's eyebrows knitted together. "Um..." He stared at my cousin in utter confusion. "I'm sorry, have we met?"

Lucas automatically shot him an annoyed stare. "You're kidding me, right?" He asked as he flicked away the butt of his cigarette.

Matt opened his mouth to respond, but stopped himself and hesitated. "Wait a minute ... _Lucas?_ " His eyes grew, shining with realization. "Dude, is that really _you?_ "

"Act more surprised, why don't you?" Lucas took yet another drag of his cigarette and rolled his eyes as he blew it out. "Yes, it's me."

"Holy ... holy crap." As soon as those words left his mouth, Matt lifted his hands in a way that made it obvious that he didn't want to offend my cousin. "I mean, you look great! This new look of yours ... it really suits you. You look really cool."

"And you..." Luke scanned Matt from the bottom of his boots to the top of his head, keeping a perfectly straight face. "...definitely haven't changed since last year. Good to see you again, I guess ... but do me a favor, okay?" His tone became slightly harsh. "Stop kissing my ass."

"Luke!" I hissed at him disapprovingly, just as our athletic friend let out a somewhat uncomfortable laugh.

"Nah, Ash, it's all right." Matt reassured. He watched Lucas lift his joint back up to his mouth and take yet another hit, right before he turned back to me. "I really do like this new look he's going for, though."

Since Matt was such a nice guy, I couldn't tell if he meant that or was just saying it to be polite. Either way, it was obvious that Luke's new appearance had caught him off guard for the first couple of seconds and it was a good thing that Matt was the type of person who always had good things to say. Its always been a habit of Luke's to get in people's faces whenever they pissed him off, but this whole personality change of his took that behavior to the next level.

"Yeah, uh..." I raised my shoulders, not knowing what to say. "It's definitely, um ... different."

Just then, Matt turned to the binoculars and I could've sworn that I felt my heart jump to the other side of the planet.

"What are you looking at?" Matt asked, smiling again. "See anything juicy with that thing?"

" _Oh, no_ _thing much ... just your girlfriend looking like she's about to shack up with her ex in the snow._ " As that thought grazed my mind, I instantly felt worse and bit down on my bottom lip.

"Uh..." I dragged out.

A mere, humorless chuckle escaped Luke's mouth. "Sounds to me like my little cousin just got scarred by some animal porn." He said, and as ridiculous as that comment was, at least it helped cut some of the tension.

Matt actually laughed at that. "Lemme check it out."

" _Shit, this isn't good ... this **really** isn't good..._" I thought.

The last thing I wanted to do was get involved with any drama, especially on a trip like _this_ ... but would I _actually_ be able to lie to Matt's face? I already felt horrible for him and he looked so happy right now. If he saw what I saw - and I hope to God that it didn't escalate any further from where I'd left it - then Matt was going to either be very hurt or very pissed.

Lucas cocked an eyebrow at me in confusion. If there was anyone on the planet who could read me like an open book, it was him ... and I could tell that he was starting to realize that something was going on.

* * *

 _ **X Mislead (It's busted)/Encourage (Take a look) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Mislead**_

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Ashley's Character Traits: Honest -1 (6/10)**

* * *

"Um ... nah, it's kinda busted. It's not - it's not really interesting ... it's just-" I kept tripping up over my words, speaking too fast in an attempt to come up with an excuse.

"What?" Matt asked, looking just as lost as my cousin did. "For real? I bet I could find a cool bear chowing down on a fox or something."

I could feel my heart pounding a mile a minute in my chest. " _Crap_ _... n_ _ow what?_ " I asked myself in my head, afraid that my worry was starting to expose itself on my face.

* * *

 ** _X Agree (Help yourself...)/Insist (No!)_**

 ** _Choice Chosen: Agree_**

* * *

With a reluctant sigh, I stepped away from the binoculars and avoided eye contact with Matt.

"Ah ... sure. Uh, help yourself." I said. I was honestly terrified to see whatever was about to happen.

Matt's grin instantly came back and he took the binoculars in his hands. "All right..." He said, looking into them.

He turned them to the right and became as stiff as a statue, causing me to shudder a little.

"Aw, son of a bitch." Matt snarled. "Seriously, Emily? What the hell man."

Lucas instantly straightened and he released a small sneer at the sound of Emily's name. His electric blue eyes flickered back and forth from me to the jock, giving it away that he was trying to piece together what was going on.

"Hey, listen - it's probably nothing..." I tried to rationalize.

Matt turned away from the binoculars and gave me a cold look. "Nothing? You think?" He sneered, evidently not pleased with how I'd lied to him about the thing behind busted.

I nervously rubbed my hands together and tried again, "...well, yeah-"

"Is it ever just nothing with Em?" Matt interrupted, raising his voice a bit. " _Ever?_ "

"I don't kno-" I stumbled, starting to feel self-conscious.

"Am I missing something here?" Lucas demanded hotly.

Refusing to acknowledge him, Matt yanked his hands away from the binoculars and backed away from them. "Dammit." He swore.

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Matt's Relationship Status: Ashley -1 (3/10)**

* * *

"Matt..." I called out to him as he turned away and stomped down the stairs.

At the same time, Lucas marched over to the binoculars, grumbling, "What in the hell is it with this thing that has everyone all riled up?" He took them in his hands and as soon as he jerked them in the direction that Matt had been looking, a string of dark chuckles seeped out of his lips. "Well, well, well ... would you look at that?" He whispered like he had an evil plan up his sleeve. "Looks like the man whore is on the prowl again."

"Lucas!" I exclaimed, already standing on the second step to go after Matt. " _Not_ helping!"

Lucas scoffed. "Don't blame me, blame Michael. _He's_ the one who can't seem to keep it in his pants." He waited about another five seconds before pulling away from the binoculars with a wicked glint in his eyes. Then, he took one last drag of his cigarette, stubbed it out in the snow, and hurried after me, snatching up his grey duffel bag in the process.

* * *

 _ **& SCENE CHANGE&**_

 _ **JESSICA**_

 _ **UPPER CABLE CAR STATION**_

 _ **21:41**_

* * *

 **Jessica's POV**

I crossed my legs and looked at my dark pink nails, wondering where in the world Mike could've been. He had sent me a text shortly before I left my house, promising me with at least a dozen kissy face emojis that he would meet me here at the Cable Car station for some alone time. I've been sitting here by myself for too long and I couldn't help but worry about him. My mind was racing with one possibility after another as to what happened, making me shiver as the chilly air wrapped around me like a blanket. I just ... needed to relax and pay attention to something else in the meantime.

* * *

 ** _X Read Book/Check Phone X_**

 ** _Choice Chosen: Read Book_**

* * *

I drew in a steady breath to help sooth myself and looked at my phone. It was resting on the bench beside me, playing a song from my playlist. For a moment, I felt tempted to pick it up, but since there was no cell reception all the way up here, I didn't see the point and decided against it. So, I chose to grab _Fifty Shades Darker_ from my opposite side and I flipped it open to where I'd last left off. My eyes instantly lit up, intrigued at how I saw that Christian was about to-

"Ahh!" A startled yelp escaped from my mouth as a snowball slammed roughly against the wall, missing my head by just a few inches.

I immediately turned in the direction that it was thrown from and at the sight of who was there, all of my previous worries were chased away. It was Mike, standing in the midst of the sprinkling snow like a sexy winter god. A delighted smile broke out widely across my face and I closed my book, setting it aside.

"Oh, you did _not_ just do that!" I stood up from the bench, giggling.

"Put your hands where I can see 'em." Mike said in a very fake Southern accent. He started preparing another snowball. "We've got you surrounded."

With a flirty grin on my face, I lifted my arms up over my head and hoped that Mike was able to catch a glimpse of the visible strip of my undies. "But who am I to retaliate?" I asked in my own Southern drawl. "What choice do I, a supple young rebel girl have, but to surrender to the strapping military come to take me into custody?"

* * *

 ** _X Run to Bench/Grab Snowball X_**

 ** _Choice Chosen: Grab Snowball_**

* * *

I casually sauntered up to the railing, swiped up some snow, packed it into a ball, and hid it behind my back as I walked out from underneath the awning. My eyes twinkled with mischief and I put on a ridiculously innocent smile, watching as Mike finished constructing his new snowball.

"I - well, I dunno, when you put it like that..." Mike began, sounding a little turned on. "Hey!"

I had bolted off in the direction of the bench, laughing. Then, just as I made it halfway, I twisted my body around and chucked the snowball at Mike. It practically exploded against the side of his face.

"Oh!" Mike gasped.

I instantly cackled, feeling rather playful as I finished my run and ducked down behind the frosty picnic table.

"Great." My boyfriend groaned, but then flashed me a teasing smirk. "You're gonna pay, you know that."

I started packing more snow together, not even caring that I wasn't wearing mittens. I had just recently received a perfect manicure and I wasn't planning to keep it to myself anytime soon.

Mike began to creep out from behind a skinny tree. "Where are you hiding, little chick-a-dee?" He asked in a sing-song voice.

I stood up, deciding that it was time to retire this hiding place. With no hesitation, I took off running again and tossed my new snowball in the direction of Mike. It splattered against his shoulder.

"Whoa! Ah ah!" Mike exclaimed, cringing slightly from the cold.

"Bull's-eye!" I taunted.

My boyfriend smirked again and threw his arm back. "Hey!" He called out in an attempt to distract me, flinging his snowball.

I refused to stop running and dunked just in time. "Ohhh snap!" I crouched down behind an old tree stump that was sleeked with ice and began constructing yet another snowball.

In the distance, I heard what sounded like the delicate chirping of a small tweety bird.

"Hellooo." I sang as I rose to my feet again. "Come on!"

Mike took off, trying to find someplace to use as a cover. Unfortunately, he and his nicely toned legs weren't fast enough.

"Hey, Mike!" I threw my next snowball and did a little quick dance of celebration as it smacked Mike perfectly in the back of the head. "Boom shakka-lakka!"

"Okay..." My boyfriend almost lost his balance, dusting some snow off the back of his neck. "No, you got me ... fair enough. Okay."

Laughing, I raced over to two perfectly arranged stacks of lumber and crouched down. Once again, I packed the mushy snow into the shape of a sphere and stood up just in time to witness a pretty brown bird land peacefully on the picnic table. It cheeped, minding its own business.

"You can't hide from me, Michael." I teased, easily spotting him. He was squatting behind another slim tree. "I know _all_ your tricks!"

I positioned my arm, but just as I was about to chuck my snowball, I stopped and looked at the innocent bird.

* * *

 _ **X Hit Bird/Spare Bird X**_

 ** _Choice Chosen: Spare Bird_**

* * *

Who in their right minds could hurt an animal and not give a damn? There was _no way_ that I was gonna risk hitting that bird. Luckily, after a couple of seconds, the little winged creature flew off, chirping and leaving the "battlefield" clear again. At the exact same time, my boyfriend started standing up and my playful grin returned to my face as I threw my snowball at him. He attempted to dive to the side to dodge it, but the snowball still managed to strike him in the lower ribs.

"Whoa! Oww!" Mike laughed as he hit the ground.

"That's right!" I giggled.

Mike started scurrying back up onto his feet. "I'm gonna find you, Jess!" He playfully growled.

"And then what?"

"Whoa-ho!"

A bright blush burned across my cheeks and I charged through the snow, trying to find a new place to hide. "No more!" I called out, still giggling.

"Oh, yeah. Oh, 'more'!" Mike snickered with romantic mischief highlighting the edge of his voice. "Oh, you're going down!"

"Ahh!" I laughed, freezing in my tracks in an attempt to find him. Then, Mike ended up appearing behind me in the blink of an eye. He spun me around and tackled me down into the soft snow so he could be hovering above me.

"Gotcha. It's done." Mike declared, waving a finger at me. "Done city!"

I could smell his cologne. It made my stomach flutter and for a moment, it was like the freezing atmosphere around us didn't exist. Just looking into his pale brown eyes sent waves of heat through my body and a piece of me was starting to debate whether or not I should just let him take my virginity right here.

"So did I go down?" I asked.

Mike tilted his head. "Uh, I don't think so."

"Mmm ... I think you'd know so if I did." I retorted with a flirtatious sparkle in my eyes. I reached up, wiped a few specks of snow away from my boyfriend's cheek with my thumb, and then rested my arm down in the snow again.

"All right, all right." Mike gave in, nodding.

"My my, so are we calling it my favor, then?" I asked.

One of the corners of Mike's lips twitched naughtily. "You're a worthy opponent, Ms. Jessica the Snowball Queen."

"Okay, that sounds _vaguely_ dirty." I said.

"My lady."

* * *

 _ **X Kiss Mike/Grab Snowball X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Kiss Mike**_

* * *

My boyfriend lowered himself down, grazing the tip of his nose against mine before he melted our lips together. The kiss was _very_ deep and passionate, making it hard to believe that none of the snow surrounding us had melted from how hot both of us felt. Then, after about ten seconds, the two of us separated and looked into each other's eyes with our cheeks glowing red.

"Wow." I said, almost left speechless. "Save some for later, buddy."

"Endless reserves." Mike declared with that charming grin I loved so much. "We should get up to the lodge."

"Yeah ... it's so nice out here though." I winked at him. "Pretty breathtaking."

"I mean, I could stay out here for pretty much ... ever." Mike pushed himself back up onto his legs and offered me his hand, which I gladly took. "Provided I was ... making out with you the whole time." He pulled me up from the ground and started wiping some snow off of his shins.

"Just 'making out'?" I questioned, wanting to tease him a little more.

He peeked up at the sky and replied, "Quote, unquote." He even used his fingers to make the little air quotes. How cute.

It was my turn to smirk. "Well, I think we might freeze to death somewhere between those quotes."

"Yeeeah." Mike dragged out.

We started walking off, him leading the way with me following. As we headed in the direction of the lodge, I picked up the sound of the cable car starting to reel in again. Though, instead of paying any mind to it, I kept sashaying after Mike and decided to declare it as the arrival of somebody else in the group.

Yeah, that's all it must've been.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's the end of the first chapter! :D :D**

 **I hope you all had fun reading it! Please keep in mind, I look forward to feedback and I appreciate it very much. Don't ever stray away to share your opinions. Feel free to PM them to me or post them in the reviews at anytime. :)**

 **Also, just to clear this up quickly:**

 **1) _Where's Ethan? -_ Don't worry, I didn't forget about him. You'll see soon.**

 **2) _What's with the special skills?_ \- Each of my new characters have a certain skill that can assist in helping them or harming them throughout the story.**

 **Well, I believe that's all I have to say for this. Stay tuned for the next chapter and remember to _always_ read carefully. You never know when something might end up being very important. ;)**

 **Happy reading and writing to you all! Thanks, everyone! :D :D :) :)**


	3. Jealousy (Part I)

**A/N: Hello, all of my fantastic viewers! I hope you are all having a splendid day. :D**

 **Who's ready for the next chapter of _Return to Blackwood Mountain?_ :) I know I am!**

 **Nevertheless, before we dive in, I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who is taking the time to read this story. Seriously, you are all amazing and it makes me feel very honored that so many of you are enjoying this story so far. :') I'm having such a great time so far. _Until Dawn_ is, by far, my most favorite video game that I've ever played and I'm looking forward to writing this story for all of you. So, thanks again, everybody. :D**

 **Also, I just want you all to know that "The Butterfly Effect" _does_ play in this story. I just haven't written them down yet. So, in case you all need a refresher:**

 ** _1\. (Did You Hear That?)_ Russell followed Sam during the hike; Russell failed to see what was making the noise in the woods...**

 ** _2\. (Any of Your Business.)_ Sam and Russell looked at Chris's incoming message; Chris was offended by their indiscretion; Chris criticized** **Sam and Russell for being nosy.**

 ** _3\. (Rats with Bushy Tails.)_ Chris chose not to shoot the squirrel; nature remained in balance; Russell kept his promise to shoot after Chris.**

 ** _4\. (The Soul of Discretion.)_ Ashley tried luring Matt away from the telescope; Ashley encouraged Matt to see afterwards; Matt saw Mike and Emily flirting; Matt trusts Ashley less; ****Lucas looked through the** **telescope; Lucas knows about Mike and Emily...**

 _ **5\. (Masters or Amateurs?)**_ **Russell's special skill is sharpshooting; Lucas's special skill is stealth...**

 **Those are all the effects that have occurred so far. Also, the '...' means there's more that could possibly be added to that specific effect.**

 **Please keep in mind that chapters will be lengthy and will require time to plan out/work on, considering I'm balancing schoolwork on the side of this. Not only that, but ... my grandpa recently past away and it's been hard lately. I loved him very much, but I believe he's in a better place and is no longer suffering. Anyway, I thank you all for understanding why these updates take time.**

 **Keep in mind, I love feedback! Feel free to share your opinions on this story in the reviews or you can PM them to me at any time. I really appreciate it, so please don't hold back. :)**

 **Please review!**

 **Well, I believe that's all I wanted to say. It's time for you all to sit back, relax, and enjoy the chapter! Remember, read carefully at all times! ;)**

 **Happy reading, everybody! :D :D**

* * *

 _ **2\. JEALOUSY (PART I)**_

 _ **& NINE HOURS UNTIL DAWN&**_

* * *

 **Chris's POV**

I rubbed my leg, trying to ignore the strain that had formed in my muscles from the long hike. "Man, I feel like this mountain gets bigger every time I climb it." I commented, shaking my head.

Josh stood in front of me, wearing a pair of plain jeans and a dark brown top underneath a flat-collared, blue and white, plaid-styled unbuttoned shirt. He also had on a sleeveless puffer jacket and a grey wool beanie that matched the design of Russell's moss-green knitted cap to protect him from the weather. Although, judging by how his arms were crossed, it was obvious that he was just as cold as the rest of us and he couldn't wait to get inside.

"Oh yeah?" Josh asked with a slight chill in his voice. "Feels the same to me."

* * *

 _ **JOSH - HANNAH, BETH, AND SCOTT'S BROTHER**_

 **COMPLEX**

 **THOUGHTFUL**

 **LOVING**

* * *

 _ **JOSHUA ANDREW WASHINGTON**_

 ** _:/Character Traits/:_**

 ** _Honest: 5/10_**

 ** _Charitable: 6/10_**

 ** _Funny: 9/10_**

 ** _Brave: 4/10_**

 ** _Romantic: 6/10_**

 ** _Curious: 5/10_**

 ** _:/Relationship Status/:_**

 _ **Russell: 8/10**_

 _ **Jessica: 4/10**_

 _ **Sam: 6/10**_

 _ **Emily: 2/10**_

 _ **Ashley: 4/10**_

 _ **Mike: 5/10**_

 _ **Matt: 3/10**_

 _ **Chris: 8/10**_

 _ **Lucas: 7/10**_

 _ **Ethan: 6/10**_

 _ **Chelsea: 10/10**_

* * *

I scoffed and waved my hand at him. "Oh, come on. You grew up here. It probably feels like it's shrinking."

Josh grinned humorously. "I guess that's true." He chuckled.

A smile crossed over my face. It felt great to see Josh again ... especially since I'd been up to my nose in college work and I'd spent months rushing through every assignment I received in order to make time to give him a call and check on him. Ever since Scott, Beth, and Hannah ... vanished ... I've been worried about Josh falling back into his depression. He dropped out of college a couple of weeks after the prior winter getaway, meaning that he had a lot more alone time on his hands. I was constantly on edge, afraid that there would come a day in which Mrs. Washington would call me to give the tragic news that my best friend had committed suicide.

To be honest, I was worried that returning to the mountain would stir up all kinds of bad memories for everyone. When Josh called me up to discuss the idea back in November, I didn't know how to handle it. Of course, I chose to be supportive, but I remained nervous about Josh's mental state for a long time. He was like an older brother to me and I wanted to do whatever I had to do in order to help him move on from the past. Unfortunately, no matter what I did, I knew that it wasn't gonna be easy for either of us to forget about last year ... the triplets were great friends of mine and I _hated_ not knowing what happened to them.

On the bright side, Josh seemed to be very relaxed and even a little delighted to be back at the lodge. He'd been blowing up my inbox for weeks, rambling on and on about how glad he was that the whole group had accepted his invitation and that he was "super psyched" to see everyone up here again. It made me feel really relieved and it even helped me look forward to this trip at least a little bit.

I drew my phone out of my jacket, groaning slightly when I looked at the screen and saw that I had no bars. "When are you gonna install some cell towers up here?" I asked, somewhat jokingly. "I'm getting withdraws already."

Josh shook his head at me and uncrossed his arms. "You got a spare million lying around and I'll fix you right up." He said, smiling again.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Funny you should say that ... ah, I think I left it in my other jacket." I patted my pockets and peeked back at Russell, who was standing a little further back with Sam at his side. "What about you, Russ? You got a couple million dollars on you?" I questioned.

Russell breathed a quick laugh. "Afraid not ... looks like I forgot to take my family's private jet up to our secret bank again." He adjusted the strap of his backpack and began approaching the front of the lodge with me, Josh, and Sam.

"Oops." Josh said sarcastically.

Matt was standing a little off to the side of the giant staircase, looking up at the sky with his arms crossed and an irate look on his face. Seeing him looking like that automatically made a ball of nervousness form in the pit of my stomach. Matt was a genuinely nice guy and it took _a lot_ to tick him off. Even his response to Josh's email was full of positivity. So, whatever the problem was, I _really_ hoped it wasn't anything too big or too serious.

Ashley, on the other hand, was sitting on one of the frosted steps and blowing into her hands. Beside her, there was this insanely pale guy dressed entirely in black with probably a gallon of eyeliner surrounding his eyes. Who in the hell was _he?_ I'd never seen him before. Was he ... her new boyfriend or something? In all the years I've known Ashley, I have never pictured her with someone like him and just the thought of her dating somebody else triggered some jealously (along with some hurt) inside of me. Whoever this guy was, he made me think of the character Nico Di Angelo from the _Percy Jackson_ book series that I used to love reading and rereading as a kid. The resemblance was uncanny.

Chelsea was the last one in sight, sitting on top of her leopard-printed suitcase with the rest of the luggage surrounding her at the top of the staircase. She looked a little on the uneasy side, looking up at a few icicles with her auburn ringlets blowing around in the freezing breeze. I swear, it was a miracle that she and Sam hadn't been frozen into blocks of ice from their skirts yet.

"Hey, guys..." Josh waved at Matt, Ash, and the raven-haired guy, flashing them a smile. "Get up here okay?"

Raven-Haired Guy made a gesture with his hand that I could tell meant 'sort of.' In return, Josh gave him an understanding nod.

"Yeah..." Ashley replied at the same time with a perky grin. However, when she cut a glance over at Matt, it crumbled away from her lips and her voice became slightly insecure as she spoke more quickly. "Well ... more or less. But it's so good to see you."

Just then, Chelsea sprang up onto her feet. "Josh! Hey!" She called out, waving at him with a smile spread practically ear-to-ear across her face.

Josh's grin instantly broadened, exposing some of his teeth. "Heeyy, there's my sexy lady!" He looked up at her with a flirtatious glint in his eyes. "What are you doing up there? Get your fine ass down here so I can get a closer look of you!"

By the time he finished saying that, Chelsea was already halfway down the staircase. When she reached the bottom, she placed her hand on New Guy's shoulder and used him for support as she leaped down the few remaining steps. Then, after landing graciously on her feet, Chelsea reached her arms up and connected them around Josh's neck. At the same time, my best friend wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close against his chest, leaving no space whatsoever between their bodies.

"That's more like it." Josh crooned, pushing a stray curl out of Chelsea's face before he planted a kiss against her cheek. "How's my favorite soldier doing?"

Chelsea's eyes sparkled with happiness. "Much better now that you're here, hon." She replied. "Although, after trekking through the woods and sitting out here in the freezing cold for half an hour, I could definitely use some time curled up by a nice, cozy fire."

Josh rested his forehead against hers and lowered his voice into a whisper. "Well, that can be arranged. I got a fireplace in my bedroom." In the blink of an eye, his smile transformed into a risque smirk. "If you want, you and I can take a private detour up there to warm ourselves up."

A scarlet blush practically blew up across Chelsea's face. "Josh!" She gave him a bashful smack in the chest.

"What?" Josh placed his lips against hers for a brief second and snickered with phony innocence. "I just want to show you how much I respect our troops."

Russell dropped his attention down to his army boots and emitted a low whistle, making it obvious that he didn't think that this was the best time for a conversation like that. At the same time, a tight smile formed on Sam's face and she shook her head at the couple; but I couldn't tell if she was amused or uncomfortable. It was always hard to tell with her. And lastly, despite how this wasn't my first time overhearing one of Josh's suggestive conversations with Chelsea, I pulled my phone back out and held it at a certain angle in the air in an attempt to distract myself from the awkwardness.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes when I noticed that I still didn't have a single bar. It's official: I cared about my best friend and his well-being to the point where I would toss aside the use of my electronics for an _entire_ _weekend._ Not saying that I was giving up on trying to find a signal, though.

"Excuse me, but is this _really_ how we're gonna spend the evening?" New Guy spoke up, looking sullenly at Chelsea and Josh. There was something that I could've sworn was familiar about his voice, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. "Sitting out here in the snow, listening to this smut while receiving frostbite on our asses?" New Guy went on with the hostility in his tone increasing with every word.

Ash elbowed him in the ribs, making him grunt and mutter a small F-bomb. Although, judging by the look that was on Ashley's face, it was clear that she felt just as awkward as the rest of us did.

Josh chuckled again and turned to look at New Guy, keeping his arms tangled around his girlfriend. "Hey, relax, man. We're just having some fun." He stated, right before he leaned in close to Chelsea's ear and slyly whispered, "After all, there's _always_ room for playtime." After his final word, he pecked Chelsea on her other cheek and sent her a wink.

In return, Chelsea playfully rolled her eyes. "All right, Casanova." She laughed lightly and pushed Josh away from her. "I'll think about it."

"Good." Josh said. His voice was deeply satisfied, but the smile on his face was like an excited kid in a candy shop.

Then, as the two of them shared a much longer kiss, Matt exhaled and looked away from everyone with what looked like jealousy flaring in his eyes. What was _that_ about? It wasn't like he was romantically interested in Chelsea. They had a strict "big brother, little sister" relationship and from what I understood, he was dating Emily now. Whatever was eating away at him, it must've been pretty bad to get him to act the way that he was.

"Ooohh-kaay..." New Guy huffed. He rolled his eyes at the sound of Josh and Chelsea's lips smacking together. "Are we going to be ... oh, I don't know ... _getting inside_ anytime soon?"

"Yeah, dude. Don't worry." Josh replied after parting from his girlfriend. "I just need to unlock the door. It'll only take a minute."

As he spoke, I picked up the sound of footsteps crunching lightly through the snow. I turned my attention away from my phone, only to realize that Chelsea was now standing in front of me with her arms crossed over her chest and a bright grin split across her face.

"Christopher, Christopher, Christopher..." She tsked, shaking her head in false disappointment. "I see nothing has changed with you. You're _still_ obsessed with making googly eyes at that phone of yours."

I returned the smile and pocketed my cell phone again. "Like you're any better, little miss Amberwood!" I retorted with a laugh, right before I staged a dull tone. "Buuuut ... I guess I can make an exception and put aside my technology in exchange for a hug."

Chelsea scoffed lightheartedly and obliged, wrapping me up in an embrace as I did the same to her. "God, I haven't seen you since you stopped by the Washington's house for a surprise visit last Christmas." Chelsea said, having to stand on her tiptoes to avoid having her face buried in my shoulder. "It's funny how that feels so long ago."

I nodded as we separated, recalling the memory. Dozens of pizza boxes, platters of Mrs. Washington's homemade fruitcake, and mugs of hot chocolate were scattered all around the basement, which Josh had converted into his own game room back in the eighth grade. The two of us, along with Chelsea, had spent hours cracking jokes, stuffing our faces, and playing video games down there on Christmas Eve. It was a good trip ... but it was sad knowing that Beth, Scott, and Hannah weren't there with us. The three of them _always_ looked forward to hanging out with Josh on the holidays.

"Yeah ... Mrs. Washington sure does make the best fruitcake in the whole world." I commented. It was honestly like scarfing down chunks of cement, but I wanted to keep the conversation positive. "So, how is your goal at becoming at marine coming?" I asked.

"It's going good." Chelsea replied as she hooked her thumbs in the pockets of her grey leather jacket. "I was actually sworn in a couple of months ago and I'm scheduled to leave shortly after graduation next year."

For a moment, I saw what looked like disappointment flash across Josh's face as he stared down at the ground; but it was gone and replaced by another smile in the blink of an eye. "You know what that means?" He asked as he looked around at the group. "There's going to be a kick-ass going away party!"

Sam chuckled, shaking her head. "Let's focus on one kick-ass party at a time, Josh."

"Aye, Samantha!" Chelsea approached her, automatically opening her arms. "Good to see you again! I swear, you look more and more like Hayden Panettiere every time I see you."

A laugh escaped Sam's mouth. "Shut up, I do not!" She objected as she gave the caramel-skinned girl a quick, enthusiastic hug. "Glad to have you back with the rest of us."

Chelsea placed her hands on her hips after pulling away and faintly nodded, paying no mind to the snowflakes that were falling in her hair. "I'm just relieved that Matt and I managed to get all the way up here safe and sound ... oh, and Emily, too." She sort of grumbled that last part to herself, rolling her eyes in annoyance at the mention of Em's name. "Sometimes, I forget just how dangerous the roads up here can get during the winter. The ride up here in Matt's SUV was absolutely _terrifying._ If I had a dollar for every time we lost some control from all of the damn ice, I'd be as loaded as the Washington's." Chelsea then glanced over her shoulder and looked at Josh, who had just pulled his keys out of his pocket. "This mountain is just _screaming_ for a snowplow, Josh."

"Sorry, babe. I tried telling my dad that, but ... we can't get everything." Josh said with a chuckle.

"Although, I'm still hoping for a miracle in the near future with those cell towers." I chipped in, causing my best bud to roll his eyes.

Chelsea breathed a small snicker and stepped over to the last person that she didn't get a chance to greet yet. "Hi, Russ." She said with a hint of delicacy now implanted in her voice.

Russell, who had been looking off to the side at a couple of tree branches and watching them sway in the wind, immediately turned his attention back to the group. "Hey, Chels." He greeted, grinning as he gave her a small wave. "You're looking just as lovely as ever. Nice to see ya."

"Thanks." Chelsea stood up on her tiptoes again as she embraced him. "It's nice to see you, too."

Russ gladly returned the hug. After a couple of seconds, they separated.

Shortly afterwards, sympathy started to brew in Chelsea's eyes and she began to fiddle around with her plum-colored nails. "So..." She spoke a little hesitantly, trying to sound nonchalant, "...how is everything going?"

Russell almost instantly shivered ... and I could tell that it wasn't entirely because of the weather.

"Uh ... everything is going pretty well." Russell replied, sounding one hundred percent like his old self. "I mean, college and life on campus has been a little tough lately, but ... we all go through rough patches when it comes to our education, right?" He flashed a smaller grin as he said his last sentence, as if there was nothing wrong. It was obvious that being back here at the lodge was really weird and uncomfortable for him.

"And what about you?" Chelsea inquired, still choosing her words carefully. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing good." Russell answered almost automatically, crossing his arms. "I'm just gonna need some time to get used to the weather up here again. It's _beyond_ cold ... but I'm glad that my parents agreed to let me come back with you guys this year."

Ashley almost frowned, rubbing her hands against her knees. "Are you sure that everything is okay, Russ?" She asked in a soft, cautious voice. "We understand that you have a lot on your plate right now. Really, it's not a crime to feel upset about-"

Russell cut her off, sounding a little bugged. "I said I'm fine. Seriously, there's no need for any of you to be worried about me. I appreciate the concern, but ... we're here to enjoy ourselves." He uncrossed his arms and slid his hands into the pockets of his ski jacket, offering a faint smile. "So, we better get inside before our fingers and toes become frozen solid."

"Took the words right out of my mouth." Matt heaved as he finally approached the rest of us, still looking flustered. "How about it, Josh? Ready to get this show on the road yet?"

I internally winced at how harsh his voice was. " _Damn ... w_ _hat in the hell is going on with you tonight, Matt?_ " I wondered. " _I really hope it's just the cold getting to him. The last thing any of us need on this trip is drama._ "

Chelsea turned to look at the jock, furrowing her brow in a mixture of confusion and seriousness. "Whoa there, Mr. Pushy." She droned. "No need to sound so bitter. It'll only take a second for Josh to get the door open. Just be patient, all right?"

Instead of saying anything back, Matt jammed his fists into the pockets of his sweatpants and huffed. Then, he marched down the trail, paying no attention to the confused stares that were being shot in his direction by Sam and Russell.

Josh watched Matt go, tilting his head a little to the side in suspicion. "'Sup with him?" He asked quietly.

I raised my shoulders in a shrugging motion, just as Chelsea rubbed the back of her neck and sighed.

"I have no idea." She clearly hated saying those words. "During the car ride and hike, he was perfectly fine ... even after Emily treated him like a pack mule and complained about him not moving fast enough on the way to the cable car station. He said something about wanting to stop by the viewing platform, but I told him that I would go on ahead in order to get all of the bags up here. Later, by the time he arrived, he had this sudden change of attitude and when I asked him what was wrong, he refused to tell me."

There were two main things in life that Chelsea couldn't stand. One, people being bitches for no reason. And two, not knowing why her friends were angry or sad.

"Well, maybe he'll be better whence we get inside." I proposed.

"I hope so." Chelsea grumbled, rubbing her arms as the icy wind whistled through her curls. "Come on, let's get that door unlocked before Matt's head explodes. I don't think I can last much longer without some heat."

Josh started up the stairs with me and Chelsea in pursuit, flicking through his keys to find the correct one. "You know, Chels, the offer is still on the table for me to help you generate some heat." He slyly laughed as he made it to the top of the veranda and approached the door. "All we're gonna need is my bed, the silk sheets, and our bodies."

A quiet groan escaped from my mouth as I walked up the few remaining steps. "Right here, guys. I'm right here." I reminded as I held my hands up to my shoulders. "And I _really_ didn't need to hear more about your possible chances at getting laid tonight."

Chelsea leaned back against the stone pillar that was beside the door and stuffed her hands into the pockets of her denim skirt. "Aw, what's the matter, Chris? Jealous?" She smirked teasingly.

"What? Don't be ridiculous. Of course not." I replied with a small, very awkward chuckle. If I had to be honest, that was actually a lie. The two of them were a great example of the relationship that I wish Ashley and I had.

"Uh-huh." Chelsea breathed out, unconvinced. "Sure."

An amused grin broke out across Josh's face. "Don't worry, bro. The night is young and it's a full moon. You never know what could happen between you and Ash tonight." He turned back to the door and stuck the key into the hole, not seeming to notice the slight blush that melted across my cheeks at the mention of Ashley. However, when he attempted to turn the key, it refused to budge.

"Oh, you _can't_ be serious..." Josh muttered, shooting the lock an annoyed stare.

* * *

 _ **CHRIS**_

 _ **WASHINGTON LODGE GROUNDS**_

 _ **22:00**_

* * *

I walked up behind him and took a peek over his shoulder to see what the hold up was. It immediately came to my attention that specific areas of the lock and knob were coated in thick blotches of frost. There were even tiny specks of solid ice frozen to certain parts of the keyhole. Josh was still trying to turn the key, adding a little more force to each attempt. It was no use, the lock wasn't giving in. That ... definitely didn't seem good.

"Yo, yo, yo! Are we gonna get things moving up here or what?" I inquired.

Josh turned to face me, smiling again. "Yeah, man!" He answered ecstatically.

* * *

 ** _X Gossip (Matt and Emily...)/Worry (You doin' alright?) X_**

 ** _Choice Chosen: Worry_**

* * *

I studied Josh for a moment, suddenly feeling my concern for him starting to return. Ever since we were kids, he had always been the type of person who wasn't afraid of talking about what was on his mind. He had always made his feelings apparent and anytime he had a secret, I was the one who he went to open up to. Although, I've been Josh's best friend long enough to know that he was a master at keeping things on the down-low when he really wanted to. To this day, his parents still don't know about him being the one who accidentally broke the vintage vase in their dining room. He, being twelve at the time, made the bad decision of practicing baseball inside and ... the rest of the events went downhill from there.

But a shattered vase sure as hell doesn't compare to the loss of his siblings...

"Hey ... you doin' alright?" I asked. Chelsea automatically dropped her head, a frown forming on her lips. I clarified my statement when Josh tilted his head and gave me a confused look. "I mean, I know it must be really tough without your brother and sis-"

"Stop." Josh interjected in an exasperated tone.

"I just meant that-" I tried to explain.

Josh interrupted me again, speaking a little louder. "No, I know what you meant." He shook his head.

"Josh..." Chelsea said with pleading eyes.

"You know, seriously, I'm over it." Josh went on, making eye contact with her before he cut his glance back over to me. "And I just want us to have a good time, you know? Like we always ... used to."

I pressed my lips together and nodded slowly, just as Chelsea sighed in disappointment and gently knocked the back of her head against the pillar. We both decided to drop it, watching as Josh grabbed the key with one hand and the knob with the other. He attempted jiggling both of them at the same time, but the results were still the same. The door wasn't unlocking.

Suddenly, I developed this eerie feeling that made the hairs on my neck stand up. It was like there was somebody looking up at the veranda, secretly watching me, Josh, and Chelsea. Just the mental picture sent a shiver through my bones, almost literally making me shudder. Though, despite my uneasiness, I forced myself to take a peek over my shoulder. As I stared at the woods, the strange feeling inside of me grew stronger and scenes from movies like _Halloween, Psycho,_ and _Friday the 13th_ started playing in my brain.

" _Get a grip on yourself, Chris._ _You're just being paranoid._ " I told myself mentally. " _You're just a little freaked out because it's the anniversary and you saw that weird Wanted poster with Sam and Russell on the way up here. There's nothing to be scared of ... so chill._ "

"I'm worried about Scarface." Chelsea said out of the blue. "He's ... he's definitely not acting like himself anymore."

I looked at her and noticed that she was using the view that was provided for us to look towards the woods. I followed her gaze, only to see that she was really looking at Russell. He had his arm swung around Sam's waist and the two of them were engaged in some type of conversation that had them both laughing. I witnessed Russell plant a kiss against Sam's lips, right before she leaned against the gate and he pulled out his camera to take a picture of the snowy path. They were another perfect example of the relationship that I _really_ wanted to have with Ashley ... but Chelsea was right. Regardless of how Russell seemed on the outside, it was obvious that he wasn't the same after what happened last year.

"Yeah, I know." I said with a heavy sigh. "I'm pretty worried about him, too ... I mean, he lost his _best friend._ "

Josh seemed to not have been listening, which I couldn't help but feel grateful for since Scott was being mentioned. He was still fixated on the lock, pulling his key out before shoving it back in and turning it as hard as he could. Unfortunately, the door _still_ refused to cooperate.

"It must be hard ... going on after losing someone you've known for so long." Chelsea dropped her eyes down to her boots, pouting. "Every once in awhile, I tried to call him to see how he was doing and ask if he wanted to hang out or anything, but it always went straight to voicemail."

"Well, I wouldn't take it personally." I tried to reassure her. "He just has a lot on his mind. In all honesty, I'm surprised that he was actually on board with returning to the mountain."

"From what I understand, he wanted to come back with us to find closure from the start. It was his parents and therapist who were much more hesitant." Chelsea brought her hands up to her mouth and blew into them, right before she started rubbing them together as fiercely as possible. "Still ... that doesn't change how difficult this must be for him. After everything that Matt and I have been through together, I can't imagine what life for me would be like if he just ... vanished." She shivered at her final word, making it clear that she thought that the strange disappearance of the triplets was creepy.

"It's real tough, I bet." I agreed, nodding my head softly. "All because of one night, everything has changed for all of us ... some more than others." I sort of muttered that last part to myself, having no desire to picture my life without my friendship with Josh. We've been bros since the beginning and best friends were never easy to come by. That only made me feel worse for Russ.

Chelsea lifted her head again, still partially frowning as she watched Russell return his camera to its bag. "I don't know how he keeps it together." She commented.

"Me neither." I admitted as I rubbed my thumb against the zipper of my coat. "I'd ... I mean, I'd be a wreck."

The wind chimes tinkled from the icy breeze as Chelsea sighed. "Chris..." She turned her head, looking at me with a mixture of sorrow and regret in her eyes. "I really hate to say it, but ... I think that's all he is right now ... an emotional wreck. At least, on the inside. He doesn't want us to worry about him ... so, he's willing to keep it all to himself in order to spare each of our feelings."

"Dammit!" Josh suddenly exclaimed, making me jump a little.

Chelsea tilted her head at him like a confused puppy. "What's wrong, honey?" She asked, as if she was never sad.

Josh groaned. "This freaking thing." He was still crouched over the lock, twirling the knob around like he was trying to figure out the combination to a safe.

"It's iced?" I questioned.

"What else?" Josh replied.

Chelsea huffed and mumbled "Crap..." under her breath, while I took a look around at the huge lodge.

"Maybe there's another way in." I suggested.

Josh continued to fiddle around with the knob. "There are a million ways in. They're just all locked."

I turned towards the woods again, still unable to shake the feeling that there was someone out there. After a moment, I shook my head and decided to ignore it. What Russell and Sam had told me about them feeling like there was somebody stalking them on their way up to the cable car station must've been messing with me.

"Is that your subtle way of saying we're screwed?" Chelsea asked, rolling her eyes in annoyance towards the frozen lock.

Josh let out a snort. "No, babe. It's just my way of saying that this lock isn't planning on thawing itself out anytime soon."

"There's gotta be, like, a window 'round the corner we can get, like, 'get open' or something." I stated as I turned back to face them again.

"Wait a second." Josh straightened up and glanced back at me, surprised. "Are you saying that we should break in?"

"Oh~" Chelsea crooned. She raised her eyebrows at me and wagged a finger teasingly. "Naughty, Christopher~"

I laughed a little at her, but directed my words to Josh. "I don't think it's technically breaking in if you own the place, right?"

"Hey." Josh's voice turned serious. "Not if I don't report you."

I took a small step back, wondering how in the hell I was supposed to respond to that. "Umm..." I frowned.

Chelsea crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head in amusement. "Damn, Chris." She snickered. "Sometimes, you are _way_ too easy to mess with."

My shoulders drooped as it came to my realization that I'd just been punked.

A humorous grin curled up on the corners of Josh's lips. "Lead the way, Cochise." He chuckled, gesturing for me to lead the way. "You comin' with us, Chels?"

"You know, as _thrilling_ as that offer sounds, I think I'll pass." Chelsea replied with playful sarcasm dripping off from the word 'thrilling.' She sauntered back over to where all of the luggage was waiting to be taken inside, waving me and Josh off. "You two masterminds go ahead and find a way to bust us all in. I'll just wait here." She seated herself back down on top of her suitcase as she said her last sentence.

"All right, princess. As you wish." Josh said kindly. He leaned down and pecked her on the forehead, right before he started following me back down the stairs.

The floorboards creaked as we carefully descended, wanting to make sure that we wouldn't accidentally slip from any of the ice or slush. As the two of us reached the bottom, I couldn't resist peeking over at Ashley from the corner of my eye. She was practically glued to New Guy's side, shivering as she tried to use him for warmth. New Guy didn't seem to care and was looking up at the sky with his wild, jet-black bangs hanging down in front of one of his eyes.

My heart jumped, but I didn't know for sure if it was because of the affection I had for Ashley or because of the jealousy that was starting to build up from New Guy. Either way, after I stepped down the final stair, I decided to turn to look at them.

"Hey, Ash..." I greeted nervously.

Ashley smiled, and as childish as it might've sounded, I could've sworn that I felt butterflies in my stomach. "Hi, Chris!" She said, giving me a small wave as New Guy shot me a blank look and Josh winked while passing by me.

" _Okay, good. You bucked up enough courage to say hi._ " I thought to myself as I returned her grin as nonchalantly as possible. " _Now ... what in the hell am I supposed to say next?_ "

* * *

 _ **X Unsettled (It's weird being back.)/Confident (Nice being back.) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Unsettled**_

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Chris's Character Traits: Brave -1 (2/10)**

* * *

If this raven-haired guy turned out to be Ashley's new boyfriend, the last thing I wanted to do was make an attempt at flirting with her. After all, he looked like the type of person who could easily knock somebody else out with a single punch and I _really_ didn't want to get my ass kicked. Plus ... I didn't want to risk destroying my friendship with Ash. If I ever asked her out (like that could ever happen) and she told me that she didn't feel the same way, I highly doubt that the two of us will be able to stand in the same room or even look in each other's direction ever again.

"Uh ... you doin' alright?" I asked.

Ashley sighed, resting her head against her hand. "Yeah ... aside from being kinda cold ... and vaguely creeped out by this place."

I nodded. "It's kinda weird being back up here, huh?"

"Yeah..." Ashley blinked, sounding sad.

My eyes flickered over to New Guy, who was still staring at me with no direct emotion on his face. He straightened his lips, remaining silent for a couple of more seconds before he leaned over towards Ashley and whispered something into her ear. It was too low for me to understand, but whatever it was, it caused Ashley's cheeks to flush and she nudged him in the arm, shushing him.

"So, Ash..." I forced a new smile across my face. "Who's your friend?"

As soon as that question left my mouth, Ash released a tiny snort and New Guy looked at me like he had just caught me trying to hotwire his car.

"Wow, Chris. It's nice to see you again, too." He spoke dryly and unimpressed. "How in the hell do you expect to become an app designer when you can't even seem to do something as simple as remembering one of your own friends?"

For a brief moment, I was confused ... but then, the realization came down on me like a brick that had been thrown. That voice, the bitter attitude, those electric blue eyes, the scatter of freckles across his nose ... this guy wasn't a newcomer! He was _Lucas!_

My eyes widened, exposing my shock. "Oh my ... emo..." I muttered under my breath, right before I raised my voice to be audible again. "Uh, Luke! It's really good to have you back this year. Sorry about ... you know, not recognizing you at first. You just look so ... different ... since the last time I saw you."

Lucas rolled his eyes at me. "Well, it's not like I got plastic surgery. It's just some hair dye, eyeliner, and piercings." He groaned. "But whatever ... you can keep your apologies to yourself. I'm used to it by now."

Ashley shook her head in disapproval towards the way he worded his sentences. I, on the other hand, nodded from being used to his hostile personality.

"So..." I gave Lucas a smile, trying to ignore how awkward I felt from assuming that he was Ashley's boyfriend. "How are you doing?"

Lucas folded his arms over his stomach and shrugged. "I'm ... doing fine. Thanks for asking, I guess." He said, sounding a little weary. "The ride up here was like blowing through sheer broken glass, but at least that part's over. Although, I could've lived without the feeling of Ashley's nails practically digging into my flesh the entire time."

Ashley immediately snapped her attention over to him, burning in embarrassment. "Well, what did you expect me to do?" She demanded insecurely. "The roads are covered in ice and we were soaring God knows how many miles on your motorcycle!"

Lucas blinked sullenly. "As far as I'm concerned, we made it. Speed limits can kiss my ass." He pulled his iPod out of his pocket on his last sentence and unraveled his grey headphones, no doubt getting ready to immerse himself in heavy metal music.

With a groan, Ashley pinched the bridge of her nose and shot me an apologetic expression. In return, I offered a grin to let her know that I was hoping that we could talk again later. Then, as I turned away, my eyes almost immediately landed on this unusual object that was lying on the ground. Unable to help myself, I walked over to the dead tree that it was in front of and cocked an eyebrow as I knelt down. Up closer, it looked like something straight out of a history book. It was designed completely out of wood and had some areas filled in with fading yellow paint.

" _Is this..._ " I curled my fingers around the item, picked it up, and turned it over to examine it. "... _a totem?_ "

* * *

 _ **Totem Found: Guidance Totem**_

 _ **Information: Portrays a scene in which someone screams while getting their fingers caught in a bear trap.**_

* * *

A sudden chill shot up my spine and I dropped the eerie artifact. It made me feel very uncomfortable and not once in my life had I ever got back up on my feet so fast. I wanted to get the hell away from that thing, so I pursued down the path and locked my eyes on Matt. He still looked pissed about whatever was going on inside of his mind, but at least talking to him would give me the opportunity to forget about the totem.

"Matt!" I greeted him with a smile. "Been awhile. Rough season, huh?"

The jock exhaled slowly. "Yeah. Something like that..."

* * *

 ** _X Friendly (How're you doin'?)/Nosy (So, you and Em...?) X_**

 ** _Choice Chosen: Friendly_**

* * *

"Hey..." I said, starting to feel a little concerned for him. "You okay, man?"

Matt sneered. "Some people, you know? You think you know 'em."

I cringed, starting to wonder if this change in attitude was caused by some "trouble in paradise" with Emily. Either way, whether it was about that or not, I felt like I was seconds away from crossing dangerous lines and I _really_ didn't want to get involved with any drama. This was supposed to be a party.

"Ooooh-kaaay..." I dragged out with an awkward shrug.

After that, I turned away from Matt to give him some more time to cool off and headed to the gate, where Sam and Russell were. They were still looking down the trail, except now Russell's arm was wrapped around Sam's shoulders and she had her head resting against him. Despite how I was still feeling a little uneasy from the totem, I couldn't help but grin. Even after everything that has happened over the past year, the two of them were still together.

At the sound of my approach, Sam and Russell withdrew their arms from around each other and turned to see me. They automatically smiled.

I wonder if they were still dwelling on the thought of being followed by some stranger...

* * *

 _ **X Inquire (How are you guys feeling?)/Tease (Total lovebirds...) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Tease**_

* * *

Now that I think about it, it probably wasn't the best idea to bring up what they had told me earlier. After all, they looked so happy now and if they really had heard noises on the way up here, it was probably just a fox or an elk or something. So, it was a much better choice to keep the mood light and funny.

"Well, well. Look at you two lovebirds." I practically announced to the entire forest, gesturing towards them. "Three whole years and you're _still_ nestled together in that little love nest of yours."

Russell playfully rolled his eyes and let out a small laugh. Sam, on the other hand, scoffed at my corny joke and pretended to readjust her fur-trimmed hat to prevent me from seeing the bright pink tint on her cheeks.

"Oh, ha, ha, ha." She said with friendly sarcasm. "Nice analogy, Chris. Very funny."

I chuckled. "Seriously though ... you guys outlasted Mike and Em. What's it like?" I flicked my attention back and forth between the two of them, feeling genuinely curious.

"It's great ... really, _really_ great." Russell replied with an honest grin. He nudged a small stone around in the snow with his foot. "Even after ... what happened ... there's no doubt in my mind that these years that I've spent with Sam have been the greatest years of my life." He sent Sam a wink after his final word, making her release a flattered giggle as she shoved him lightly. Although, I couldn't help but notice the discomfort that was buried in Russell's voice when he referenced to the disappearance of Hannah, Beth, and Scott.

"So ... seen Ash yet?" Sam questioned.

I could tell that she had noticed Russell's sorrow and wanted to change the subject. So, even though I still felt stupid for thinking that Lucas was Ashley's new boyfriend, I went along with it.

"Ummm... yeah..." I replied.

Sam nodded, looking down at the ground. "Cool. Cool. Cool, cool, cool." She said quickly, sounding entertained.

I rested my hands against my waist and cocked an eyebrow at her, while Russell flashed a tight grin down at his army boots and shook his head in amusement.

"How's, uh ... how's she doin'?" Sam asked, peeking up at me through her lashes.

A groan almost escaped from my throat as I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Seriously, I didn't see how Sam could possibly make herself anymore obvious.

"She's ... fine. Why?"

Sam turned away from me and went back to leaning against the small gate. "No reason." She said, causing me to purse my lips from detecting the smile that was in her voice.

"Way to be subtle, babe." Russell commented, right before he flicked his attention over to me. "So, Chris, what's the hold up on getting us inside?"

I huffed and rubbed my hands together in an attempt to fight the cold. "The front door won't open. The stupid lock is iced ... and I've been keeping Josh waiting long enough. We're gonna find another way in."

"Well, if that's the case, I'm coming with you guys." Russell said. "I think there's a way around the back that we can use."

I started walking backwards, motioning for him to follow. "Let's go then."

"You guys better hurry." Sam cautioned as she flicked her eyebrows up in dead seriousness. "I swear, the temperature is dropping more and more by the minute."

"Don't worry, Sammy. We'll be quick." Russell reassured. He delivered a quick kiss to her cheek and then started retreating to the lodge with me. Along the way, he gave Matt a fist-bump and I refused to look down at the creepy totem that was still lying in the snow.

Josh was still waiting a little off to the side of the stairs, checking his watch. At the sound of me and Russell approaching, he looked up, shot us a grin, and tilted his head a little to the left to indicate which direction we were going to head in. He gave Russ a clap on the back as we began to walk around to the side of the mansion, as if that was his way of saying that he was glad to have Russell joining us. Then, Josh picked up the pace a little so he could be leading the way. For a moment, other than the sounds of our shoes crunching in the snow and the wind whistling through the trees, everything was silent.

"Ashley was looking pretty hot today, right?" Josh asked all of the sudden.

I staggered slightly from getting caught off guard and exchanged glances with Russell. Then, we both froze in our tracks and stared at Josh, who had also stopped in order to turn to us with a smile plastered across his face.

"She's like a 'sleeper hit' kinda gal, you know?" He went on, looking at Russell and then at me. "Now, I just wanna rip that parka right off her ... make some snow angels. Right?"

Russell stared at him like he had just attempted walking through a wall. Now, I knew that he was only joking, but ... I honestly didn't feel comfortable with him talking about Ashley like that. How in the hell was I supposed to respond?

* * *

 ** _X Agree (Yeah ... absolutely.)/Protest (Cut it out, man.) X_**

 ** _Choice Chosen: Protest_**

* * *

"Hey..." I said after a brief pause, shaking my head. "Cut it out, man-"

Josh's grin instantly crumbled away. "I mean, if you don't wanna bang her ... maybe Mike'll take up the case."

Russell's face twisted in disgust. "Ugh! Josh!" He huffed.

"W-will you back off already?" I demanded shortly after, starting to feel very self-conscious.

"Re-laaax." Josh's lips morphed into a new smile. "I'm just checkin' to see if there's some blood flowin' down there."

Russell pinched the bridge of his nose and released a quiet huff. "Well, there's an image that's gonna scar me for the rest of my life." He grumbled.

"Tsk ... yeah." I agreed awkwardly.

Josh raised a finger at me, getting me to focus entirely on him. "Listen, dude. Look around you. Look at these beautiful mountains. Do you see any parents?" He spread his arms out and gestured to the never-ending land that was all around us. "I mean, can you imagine a more perfect, ripe scenario, just dripping with erotic possibilities? You, and Ashley, alone at last... " Josh proclaimed, at which I started to nod and Russell looked back to most likely make sure that nobody was eavesdropping on us. "You've laid all the groundwork, you've been a perfect gentleman. Now, you come in for the _kill!_ "

Russell slid his hands into the pockets of his ski jacket and peeked up at the sky, emitting a low whistle.

I straightened my lips and hesitated. For a moment there, throughout Josh's speech, I could've sworn that I felt some confidence starting to build up inside of me...

* * *

 _ **X Agree (Maybe you're right.)/Disagree (I don't know.) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Disagree**_

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Chris's Relationship Status: Josh -1 (7/10)**

 **Chris's Character Traits: Brave -1 (1/10)**

* * *

...but then, in the blink of an eye, it was shot straight to hell. As much as I appreciated Josh for having faith in me, I just couldn't see myself bucking up enough courage to ask Ashley out on a date - let alone on a trip to the "bone zone."

"I don't know, man..." I sighed, shaking my head again.

Josh threw his arms down at his sides in exasperation. "How can you _not know?_ " He demanded.

"But what if it's like, weird?" I dropped my head and spoke softly, feeling like a dog with its tail tucked between its legs. "And what if she might not, like, wanna be friends with me anymore if I try something like that?"

"I mean, weren't you just listening?" Josh asked as he walked in the circle around me and Russell with his arm up in the air. "You gotta buck up, bro. Grow a pair."

I tilted my head all the way back and subdued a groan, unable to tell whether I felt more embarrassed or annoyed. Maybe I should've just agreed with Josh (considering I was still a virgin and I've had a crush on Ashley for God knows how long), but it's not like I can rewind time.

"Aw, come on, Josh." Russell spoke up, watching my best friend as he strolled around us. "Give him a break. When it comes to something like sex, there's nothing wrong with being a little nervous."

The right corner of my mouth twitched, forming a faint smile. This was one of the many reasons that I liked Russ. He was a genuinely understanding person and he wasn't afraid to intervene in a conversation, no matter how inconvenient it was. It was nice to know that he still had that part of him intact.

Josh finished walking in his circle and paused directly in front of the dusty blonde teen, a smirk already in place. "Relax, Scarface. The three of us are just having some bro talk. No crime against that." He chuckled. For a second, I saw something flash across his milky green orbs; but it was gone before I had the chance to identify it. "So ... I heard that you and Sammy have been together for a whole three years now. Way to go on making it this far." Josh congratulated, still smirking. "Have the two of you ever gotten around to ... you know ... hitting the sheets yet?"

Russell grimaced. "Uh ... no ... no, we haven't." He folded his arms, seeming to know what was about to come.

"What?!" Josh stared at him like a third eye had suddenly appeared on his face and scoffed. "You're ... you're joking, right?"

"Why would I joke about my relationship with Sam?" Russell asked, at which I started rubbing the back of my neck from feeling out of place. "We're still waiting for the right time before we decide to move on to _that_ level."

" _When exactly_ do you think that 'right time' will come, Russ?" Josh commanded. He even added air quotes around the words 'right time.' "I mean, you and Sam have been in each other's lives ever since the fourth grade, right? The two of you practically grew up side by side and it's been _three years_ since you landed your first date with her."

"Josh..." I attempted to cut in, but he continued his talk with Russell.

"You've waited for the 'right moment' long enough. It's time for you to make a move and prove to Sam how much you love her. Otherwise, you're both gonna end up being the only virgins in the geriatric ward." Josh declared, pointing a finger at the dusty blonde teen like he had done to me. "Seriously, man ... what's the hold up?"

"Not _all_ relationships revolve around sex, Josh." Russell stated in a tone that made it clear that he wasn't enjoying the conversation. "And besides ... I don't want to make the same mistake that my parents made."

I internally cringed at his last sentence, thinking back to when he first told the gang about how young his parents were when they had him. If I remember correctly, Mrs. Curtis was fifteen and Mr. Curtis was seventeen. To make a long story short: they backed out of an open adoption at last minute, accepted their new lives as teenage parents, and agreed to get married shortly after Lyla came into the picture two-to-three years later.

A cheeky grin appeared on Josh's face. "Well, you know the saying, Scarface ... no glove, no love." He snickered. "Just slip one of those bad boys on and you're all set to invite Sammy down to the bone zone."

"Dude ... come on..." I tried to intervene again, but didn't know exactly what else to say.

"Josh, would you please ... just..." Russell huffed, starting to sound a little flustered. He was usually a master at keeping his cool, so this ... definitely wasn't good.

Now, I was positive that I was gonna have to say something to prevent this discussion from escalating any further.

* * *

 _ **X Defend Russell (Lay off him, Josh.)/Defend Josh (Take it easy, Russ.) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Defend Josh**_

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Russell's Relationship Status: Chris -1 (7/10), Josh -1 (8/10)**

 **Josh's Relationship Status: Chris +1 (9/10), Russell -1 (7/10)**

* * *

"Hey, Russ ... take it easy, all right?" I said in the most serene voice possible. "Josh is just joking around with us. He means no harm."

Russell's shoulders drooped a little as he exhaled. "Still ... it's not gonna happen between me and Sam this weekend. We're doing just fine without having sex." He settled with a dead serious glint in his eyes. "But when the time _does_ come and we _do_ decide to sleep together, it'll be nobody's business but our own. All right?"

Josh removed his hands from his waist and held them up to his shoulders. "All right, all right. You made your point, Scarface." He huffed.

Russell briefly nodded. "Okay, good ... now that that's settled, let's find a way inside before we turn into human Popsicles."

The three of us continued up the trail with Josh still leading the way. The closer we got to the side of the lodge, the dimmer it got due to the trees blocking the moonlight. It was getting hard to see out here, especially through the falling snow.

"So, how are we planning to break in to my parents' lodge, bud?" Josh inquired.

I faltered for a second. "Wait, I didn't say I had a plan-"

"You sounded like you had a plan." Josh remarked. "You better deliver, Cochise, or else you got four lovely ladies and one sexy lady who are gonna be freezing their buns off, and last time I checked, that's _not_ a good way to get laid."

I hummed. "Well, shoot. Nobody likes cool buns."

Russell picked at the edge of his beanie and pulled it down a little more as the chilly wind kicked up another notch.

Finally, the three of us made it to the side of the mansion ... but the staircase that led to the backyard, where an entrance was sure to be, was completely overrun by snow. There was no way that Josh and Russell were going to agree with marching through knee-length slush to get inside. It was already freezing out here and it's not like I wanted to get my clothes soaked either. So, we were going to have to find a way from where we were.

"Look around for a way in." Josh instructed, as if he had read my mind.

Russell walked ahead while I looked towards the stone wall. That's when something strange caught my attention, causing me to cock my head a little to the side as I approached it. It was the Axe Holder with its glass shattered and the axe ... missing.

"Hmm..." I muttered under my breath. "That's ... _really_ weird..."

* * *

 _ **\+ CLUE FOUND - AXE HOLDER +**_

 _ **Note: A wall-mounted holder that should contain an axe ... but the axe is missing.**_

* * *

As creepy as this was, I didn't think that it was a good idea to point it out to Josh and Russell. With everything that they've been going through, a missing axe would only add more stress to them. Besides, for all I knew, that Axe Holder could've been busted plenty of years ago and the axe could've been moved to storage or something. However, just by looking at the thing, I started to recall how uneasy I felt when I picked up that totem. So, I quickly turned my back on the Axe Holder and pulled my cell phone out to help me see better.

A small F-bomb slipped out of my mouth when I noticed how low the battery life was. "Damn ... I'm getting pretty low on juice here." I started to fiddle around with a couple of my apps, trying to turn them off as quickly as possible.

"Hey, guys..." Russell said, but I ended up groaning from my stupid battery. It was dangerously close to the red zone and I had forgotten to pack my charger.

"I just had to turn off my GPS!" I griped as I cast the light around. "I'm finally, like, outside, where I might actually use it-"

Josh interjected. "Can you cool it on the phone talk?" He cuffed his hands around his mouth and blew into them.

"What? Why?" I asked.

"Guys..." Russell repeated himself, only to be cut off again.

Josh rolled his eyes. "It's pretty much all you talk about."

I shined the light along the side of the lodge. "Well, ya know, I mean, I can do all this stuff-" I began.

"Well, you got an app that can get us into the lodge?" Josh inquired.

My shoulders sagged a little. "Nope."

"Got an app that can get you laid?" Josh went on, raising a brow.

I turned to face him. "Well, actually, there's this-"

"Dude. You don't." Josh settled. "The answer is that ... you don't."

"Guys!" Russell proclaimed, finally managing to get a snag on mine and Josh's attention.

We spun around in his direction and simultaneously blurted out, "What?!"

After confirming that our eyes were on him, Russ pointed up at one of the high windows. "See that window? It's opened slightly. We can climb in through it with the help of this thing." At his final word, he turned to face this double-door cabinet that was resting beside the wall and gripped a hold of its side.

Josh and I immediately approached him.

"Well, well, well. We got ourselves a thinker. Nice one." Josh grabbed another part of the same side as Russell, while I clicked my phone off, returned it to my pocket, and positioned myself at the other end to push.

I heaved, trying to prevent my feet from slipping in the frost as I shoved the cabinet. It was a hell of a lot heavier than it looked, leaving a long strip behind in the snow as it moved. Russ and Josh grunted, pulling with all of their might as I continued to push. Eventually, the three of us managed to get the damn cabinet underneath the window and breathed out, relieved to have finished that task.

"Finally." Russell huffed and shook his hands to help relieve the strain in his fingers. "Who wants to go first?"

Josh automatically turned to me. "Cochise." He said, motioning for me to go. "I volunteer you as tribute."

At the _Hunger Games_ reference, an amused grin appeared on Russell's face and he barked out a laugh. I, on the other hand, rolled my eyes and emitted a low groan from being chosen to go first. Then, without bothering to object, I drew in a steady breath and leaped up on top of the cabinet. As I climbed back up onto my feet, I nearly lost my balance and caught a glimpse of Josh and Russell over my shoulder. They had already thrown their arms up into the air to catch me, but I managed to regain my footing.

"You good, bro?" Josh asked as I slid my fingers through the slim opening that Russell had spoken about.

"Yeah, I'm good." I grunted, tugging on the window a couple of times before it popped up with a loud _creak._ A victorious grin curled up on the corners of my lips ... but it immediately disappeared when I made the mistake of pushing myself through the opening too quickly. A gasp escaped from my mouth as I plummeted through the air, right before I came in contact with the concrete ground at the bottom. The air lurched out of my lungs and I could practically feel the bruises already starting to form on my back.

"Chris!" Russell called out as he and Josh came into view through the window. "You okay, man?"

I groaned and clenched my eyes shut, not knowing whether I felt more humiliated or hurt by the impact. Either way, I forced myself to lift my arm and give a thumbs up.

"I'm okay!" I called back, right before I dropped my arm back down to the floor. "I should have paid more attention in climbing class..." I muttered.

For a moment, Josh and Russell exchanged confused stares. Then, they dropped their attention back down to me.

"Climbing class?" Russ questioned.

"You mean 'gym'?" Josh asked shortly after.

I gave a weak nod and started picking myself up, feeling a sore throbbing sensation in the center of my back. "Yeah, you know, with the climbing up the rope-" A wince cut me off as I stood up with my hand on my lower back. Dammit, that hurt. "Well, what are you waiting for, Russ?" I asked, deciding to change the topic. "You comin' in or not?"

Russell scoffed. "Don't you think I deserve a chance to limber up first?"

Josh playfully rolled his eyes and snickered at the joke, while I grinned and gestured for Russell to come in.

"Nope." I replied, popping the 'p' with a chuckle. "Come on. Move your ass, Scarface."

Russell staged an overdramatic groan, unable to prevent a smile from breaking out across his lips. "All right, fine." He 'caved' and grabbed the edge of the window with a firm grip. "But if I pull a muscle, you're rubbing it."

That time, Josh and I both snorted, shaking our heads in amusement.

Russell slowly pulled himself up and bent his six-foot-three frame as carefully as possible to avoid making the same mistake that I made. He dropped his first leg in, making it look like he was riding a horse. Then, after reaching up to hook his fingers around the upper frame of the opening, he lifted his other leg and swiveled around. Finally, he pushed himself down and landed perfectly on top of the wooden countertop that used to be cluttered with Mr. Washington's tools. When he hopped down to the concrete floor, I held my hand up for him to give me a high-five. He did so gladly.

"Nice job, dude." Josh complimented with a smile.

Russell shrugged nonchalantly and said, "Piece of cake." He then removed his beanie and scarf, tucking them away into the pockets of his ski jacket.

Suddenly, the lightbulb above our heads ... exploded with a loud bust. The entire room became dark, causing me to jump and Russell to let out a startled gasp.

"Whoa." Josh droned.

"What the hell..." Russell murmured, looking up at the ceiling in confusion.

I glanced over at him suspiciously. "Did we do that?"

There was a small pause, in which Josh leaned in slightly to examine the busted light. "I don't ... I don't think so." He denied.

Russell huffed. "Well, this is just great ... it's nearly pitch black in here now."

"Oh!" Josh exclaimed. I turned and saw him pull something out of his puffer jacket. "Here, use this."

Russ squinted in the dark, watching as Josh tossed the item over to me. As soon as I caught it, I realized that it was a lighter.

As I lit it, I turned back around so Russell could see it. The little flame didn't provide much light ... if anything, it probably reached a foot ... but at least we weren't in _total_ darkness anymore.

"Sorry, Scarface. I only had one of those things on me." Josh held out both of his hands to show that they were empty, but Russell waved at him dismissively.

"Nah, it's fine. I can just use my phone."

Josh and I watched him as he pulled his cell phone out and clicked it on. Then, within a couple of seconds, a brighter beam of light was emitted from the lens. Overall, the room was still creepy and dark; but at least we had two sources of light now.

"Whoa - Chris - I just got an _awesome_ idea." Josh suddenly said.

"Yeah?" I inquired, looking up at him.

"Totally!"

"Well, what is it?" Russ asked.

"Okay. So, I'm _pretty_ sure that I've got some deodorant in one of the bathrooms ... you two can can use _that_ with the _lighter._ " Josh explained.

I exchanged glances with Russell. We were both clearly lost.

"We don't - we don't follow." I said after I flicked my eyes back over to Josh. "How's a stick of deodorant gonna help?"

"Spray on. It's a can." He clarified.

At that moment, it was like a lightbulb turned on in my brain. "Ohhh ... yeah ... now I gotcha."

"Flamethrower." Josh grinned, at which Russell started to nod in an understanding manner.

"Just like we do with the lil' army dudes." I snickered.

Josh nodded. "Yup. The ones we melted. Just point the spray-can at the lighter and FWOOSH." He made a motion with his hands, emphasizing something getting caught on fire.

"Bye-bye, frozen lock." I declared, still chuckling a little from the childhood memories. "What do you think, Russ?"

Russell, who had been caught up in casting his light around at a couple of cluttered shelves, turned to raise his eyebrows at me. "I think I'm really glad that I was never invited to any of your playdates." He said, somewhat jokingly. "But considering the issue that we have right now, I say let's go for it." He then gazed up at Josh. "So, we need to find the deodorant, bring it to the front door, and spray it at the lighter to defrost the lock ... right?"

"Bingo." Josh confirmed. He looked back and something (maybe sorrow?) flashed across his face, but it disappeared before I got the chance to really see what it was. "All right, so you guys got this. I'm gonna go sort something out-" He pointed to the right. "-you guys up for hunting around in the dark for a little bit?"

I looked around, silently wishing that we hadn't picked the window that led into the creepy storage room. Then, I glanced back at Josh and shrugged.

"Nope." I answered truthfully. "But I'll do it if Russell does."

"Well, I didn't just bust in through that window for nothing." Russell remarked, shaking his head at me. "Let's just make this fast. I don't think the others can hold out much longer."

Josh saluted us. "Godspeed, pil'grims." He said with some kind of random accent, right before he disappeared out of sight.

I laughed at my best friend's goofy behavior while Russell playfully rolled his eyes. Then, as we turned our backs to the window, I held the lighter out in front of me and said, "All right, Scarface ... let the scavenger hunt begin."

* * *

 **Russell's POV**

 _ **WASHINGTON LODGE STORAGE ROOM**_

As Chris started walking carefully ahead, I raised my phone up and aimed the light over the lightbulb that had exploded. How the hell did that happen? Little specks of dust could be seen floating through the air and all that was left of the bulb was the broken bottom half. Just by looking at it, I felt a nervous tingle in my bones ... as if something was telling me that it was a bad idea for me and Chris to be in this room.

" _Damn, Russ ... you've **got** to stop freaking yourself out. It's just a storage room ... that's all it is._" I quietly exhaled and shook my head, forcing the shattered lightbulb to the back of my mind.

"It must've just overheated..." I muttered under my breath, not even realizing that I said it out loud until it was too late.

Chris paused in his tracks and twisted himself at the waist to look back at me. "You say something, Russ?" He asked, being illuminated by the flame from the lighter.

"No, don't worry about it." I replied, still feeling my spine being pricked by that uneasy feeling. "It was nothing important."

The spectacle-eyed teen tilted his head a little in uncertainty. "Well ... all right ... if you say so." With a shrug, he turned back around and continued to wave the lighter around ... until something on the ground caught his eye. "What the ... oh, you've _got_ to be kidding me..." Chris whispered as he lowered himself down onto one knee.

I cocked an eyebrow in confusion and approached him, beaming my light against the floor to avoid tripping over anything. "What is it, Chris? ... What's wrong?" I asked. When I got close enough to see what he was looking at, I staggered back a small step and my eyes became as wide as saucers. On the floor, lying near a couple of bikes and a mountain of boxes ... was yet another one of those spooky totems. Although, unlike the two that I had seen on the way up here with Sam, this one was decorated with chipped brown paint.

"It's another freaky totem." Chris grumbled, as if he had read my mind. "I literally just found one of these things outside a little while ago ... except, that one was yellow."

"Me and Sam found two on the way up here. They were both close by the cable car station." I shared as I positioned my light down on the wooden artifact. "One was yellow and the other was red."

"So ... what's that mean?" The bespectacled teen glanced back at me from over his shoulder. "That there's tons of these things just lying around on the mountain?"

I gave a small shrug. "I'm not sure ... but that's one mystery that I can live with being unsolved."

With a huff, Chris glanced back down at the totem, wrapped his fingers around it, and picked it up reluctantly.

* * *

 _ **Totem Found: Loss Totem**_

 ** _Information: Foretells an explosion, in which Emily and Chelsea collapse to the ground and scream as they're being incinerated._**

* * *

As my spectacle-eyed friend studied the totem, I decided to look around some more. I shined my light over to the other side of the room and slid it across a row of cabinets that were topped with blankets of dust. Then, as I walked on, a quiet yelp escaped from my throat when I heard something fall from the series of shelves that were to my right. I immediately moved my phone over in the direction of the noise and spotted a little brown rat sitting on the edge of the shelf, twitching its nose and cleaning its face. As soon as my light landed on the small creature, it released a frightened squeak and scurried away.

I breathed a sigh of relief and muttered, "Just a rat..."

Suddenly, something caught my attention from the corner of my eye. I turned my head, squinting in the dark until I was able to make out an open door in the corner of the room. It led to what looked like another storage room. Leave it to the Washington's to have an extra storeroom built in to their larger storeroom.

"Huh ... wonder what's in there..." I whispered to myself. I approached the doorway with curiosity in each step and peered into the small space. As soon as I did, I could've sworn that it felt like I had run straight into a brick wall. The dim room was occupied by two more high shelves, which were cluttered with boxes that had labels printed across them in Mrs. Washington's handwriting. All of the labels related to Scott, including: _Scott's CD Collection, Scott's Photos, Scott's Clothes ..._ and so on.

Although, there was this one box that was different than all of the others. It was on one of the upper shelves, _unsealed_ with the side reading: _Scott's Awards._

* * *

 ** _\+ CLUE FOUND - AWARD BOX +_**

 _ **Note: A majority of Scott's things have been packed up ... but it looks like someone has been looking through his awards recently.** _

* * *

I also noticed Scott's favorite snowboard - the one that Josh had given to him as a birthday present three years ago. It was sitting on the second shelf and gathering dust. His helmet and skates from the ice hockey team were there, too.

For a moment, it felt like my lungs had been deflated. "Whoa..." I said with a sore tone. "A lot of Scott's stuff..."

I placed my hand against the wall in an attempt to find the light switch. When I managed to locate it, I flipped the switch ... but, of course, the lightbulb wouldn't flicker on. I tried flipping the switch a couple of more times after that, only to be given the same result.

"Ugh, damn ... the power is all screwed up." I grumbled, retracting my hand from the switch. "Weird ... that other lightbulb worked just fine before it broke."

I waved my light around ... and it landed on something that caused confusion to stir in my icy blue eyes. There was something - a piece of paper, it looks like - lying beside Scott's skates.

"Huh?" I tilted my head a little to the side and approached the shelves. "What do we have here?"

I picked the piece of paper up and turned it over, revealing that it was badly burned newspaper clipping. "Well, what the hell is this?" I wondered aloud as I narrowed my eyes at the faded text. Lucky for me, I was a master at reading practically anything, no matter how horrible it looked.

I silently read the clipping to myself, keeping my light pointed at it.

* * *

 _ **\+ CLUE FOUND - NEWSPAPER FRAGMENT +**_

 _ **Note: The report covers a court case related to Blackwood Pines. An old janitor tried to burn the place down. In the dock, he swore revenge on the Washington Family.**_

* * *

 **5th June 1997 - The Alberta Bugle**

 **Ex-Janitor Convicted For Arson**  
 **Swears Revenge On Movie Mogul's Family**  
 **By Charlie Scott - Chief Reporter**

 **Victor Milgram, 52, was yesterday sentenced to 16 years in prison for aggravated arson committed on Blackwood Pines. Milgram was employed as the janitor of the mountain's old hotel for 28 years. However, when Hollywood producer Bob Washington acquired the property, Milgram was fired.**

 **In a sensational twist, the sentencing ended with an enraged Milgram screaming obscenities at Washington's heavily pregnant wife, Melinda. Calling her a f- whore, he vowed to get all of you, your f- husband and kids, and said that he would make them suffer. Melinda had visibly struggled to maintain her composure throughout the case, and later claimed that though she was upset by Milgram's threats, she had full faith in the legal system to keep her and her family safe.**

* * *

"Russell?" Chris's voice suddenly called out. "Hey, Russell, where'd you go?"

"I'm in here!" I called back as I carefully skimmed across a few of the sentences again.

I heard the spectacle-eyed teen groan, followed by the sound of his footsteps coming in my direction. Within a few seconds, he appeared in the doorway, still holding the lighter out in front of him.

"You know, Russ, the last time I checked, this wasn't a bathroom." Chris said in a matter of fact tone.

I rolled my eyes slightly, still looking down at the newspaper clipping. "I know."

Chris cocked his head at me. "You do realize that there's such thing as being _too_ nosy, right?" He waved the lighter around the room, shuddering a little at the sight of a thick spider web in the upper left corner.

"You call it being nosy, I call it being curious." I remarked. I lifted my head back up and held the newspaper fragment out to him. "You might wanna take a look at this. I found it in here."

Chris raised an eyebrow, but agreed to take the burned scrap of paper from me. He held the lighter close to it as he read, causing the text to reflect in his glasses. What felt like an eternity of silence went by before he spoke again.

"Victor Milgrim? ... Wasn't that the name we saw on that Wanted poster?" He asked, sounding partially unnerved as he made eye contact with me again.

"Yeah." I replied with a small nod. "Apparently, he had a _huge_ grudge against the Washington's."

"Weird..." Chris squinted at something on the newspaper clipping. "Says here this thing dates back to sixteen years ago ... I wonder what it's doing down here."

I opened my mouth to say something back; but before I could get a word out, Chris and I both jumped from a mild _bang._ It was just the pipes ... but it still made me want to get the hell out of that storage room. Plus, I didn't wanna get bummed out by hanging around Scott's stuff.

I groaned. "Let's just get the heck out of here and find that deodorant."

"Right behind you." Chris agreed immediately.

He placed the newspaper clipping back down on the shelf and we exited the storeroom side by side. Then, as we started heading to the other door that led out into a hallway, I failed to hold a cough back. I couldn't help it - there was so much damn dust in this place. I waved my unoccupied hand through the air, trying to clear it.

"Holy crap ... I never knew that there could be so much dust in one space." I wheezed out. "This place is in desperate need of a good dusting."

"And an exterminator." Chris incorporated as my light beamed down on an old mousetrap that was surrounded by rat droppings and a few dust bunnies.

He entered the long, dark hallway first. I followed closely, both of us waving our light sources around. Each of our steps caused the wooden floor beneath our feet to softly creak. I swayed my phone from side to side, causing the light to gleam against a couple of potted plants that decorated almost every corner. Then, a little further ahead, Chris paused in his tracks when he noticed something on the wall.

"Huh ... that's cool." He murmured.

I picked up the pace slightly and stopped beside him, assuming that the item was a fascinating painting ... but when Chris raised the lighter, I realized that it was really the Washington's family portrait. Mr. Washington stood with Hannah and Beth to his left, while Josh and Scott stood to his right. Mrs. Washington sat in a chair, almost directly in the center of the rest of the family with Hannah's hand placed delicately on her shoulder. Scott's arm was also hooked around Josh's shoulders and all of them were wearing smiles.

* * *

 _ **\+ CLUE FOUND - FAMILY PORTRAIT +**_

 _ **Note: A portrait of the Washington family. Hannah is wearing a distinctive locket.**_

* * *

My lips quivered, forming a frown as I stared at the portrait. The Washington's used to be such a happy family, but now ... everything was different. Just thinking about it made my chest swell with dread and I could've sworn that I felt some tears starting to prickle up in the corners of my eyes. Nonetheless, I drew in a steady breath to maintain my composure and clenched my eyes shut, forcing the water to dry up.

At the same, Chris released a sigh ... and it was obvious that he was caught up in thinking about the same things as me.

"Hannah and Beth were the only ones expected, you know?" I said abruptly, wanting to break the uncomfortable silence.

Chris raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean Robert and Melinda were expecting twins. Throughout their ultrasounds, they only saw two girls ... Beth and Hannah." I explained, giving a small gesture to the portrait as I studied the faces of the two young ladies. "But then, around their eighth month, it was discovered that there was a third baby - a little boy - in there. I think the doctors said something about him hiding behind one of the girls ... and thus, there were triplets on the way instead of twins."

"Huh ... I never knew that." Chris glanced at the portrait again and a sad look swept across his face. "I'm still having a hard time believing that they've been gone for a whole year ... they were some pretty awesome friends."

At the word 'were', I felt a sharp sting in my heart and almost cringed. "Well, we better keep moving." I said after a brief pause. "That lock isn't gonna defrost itself."

Chris must've picked up on that I didn't wanna talk about the portrait anymore, because he nodded with empathy in his eyes.

Although, shortly after the two of us started pursuing down the hall again ... there was this strange noise. It sounded like a door loudly creaking - as if it was being moved - and then slammed shut. I immediately shifted my phone in the direction of the noise, only to have my light hit against the log wall. But ... there _was_ a door on the right side of the dead end. Did that thing just close all by itself? How in the hell was that even possible?

"Huh?" Chris stopped walking and squinted. "What the hell was that?"

"I'm ... not sure." I answered in a tone that was just as creeped out as his. "Maybe it was just a draft. Large houses like this usually have them."

Chris straightened his lips in uncertainty, but continued to walk. When we reached the door, he grabbed the knob, pulled it open, and poked his head out to make sure that the coast was clear like he was on an episode of _Scooby Doo._ I, on the other hand, didn't hesitate to walk through the doorway and simply looked around. Chris followed immediately, still using the lighter to illuminate his path. We had finally made it to the foyer - the main entrance of the lodge.

Suddenly, I noticed a mischievous grin spread across Chris's face. At first, I cocked an eyebrow in confusion; but then, after he raised a finger up to his mouth to shush me, he quietly started to tiptoe towards the front door and I instantly understood what he was up to. I flashed a genuine smile as Chris took a small peek out the little window that was built in to the door. Even though I remained further back, I was still able to catch a glimpse of Ashley, Sam, and Chelsea huddled close together right outside on the porch.

Chris dunked to the side of the door and I had to bite down on my thumbnail to prevent myself from laughing. "WOOOooOOooooOOO!" The bespectacled teen wailed like a ghost, causing Ashley to release a startled yelp. Shortly afterwards, Chelsea let out a groan and Sam's pretty face appeared on the other side of the frosty glass.

"Hi, Chris, very funny." Sam called through the thick door.

Chris turned to peer through the window again. "Aw, how'd you know it was me?" He questioned.

I finally allowed myself to laugh as I approached his side. "Maybe because you chose one of the _worst_ hiding spots of all time." I replied as I gave him a friendly clap on the back.

Sam shivered, still looking in at us. "Shouldn't you guys be, like, getting the lock open or something?" She inquired.

"On it." Chris and I affirmed at the exact same time.

We turned away from the front door and, with me leading the way by a couple of steps, headed into the living room. As I walked and waved my light around, I felt slight pressure on my heart and battled the urge to frown again. Everything looked just like it did the last time I saw it, except there were some pieces of furniture that were now covered with sheets. Not only that, but it felt so dreary ... like the joy and laughter from last year never existed. Hopefully, that would change after Chris and I defrosted that lock so the whole gang could get in here and start the party.

The spectacle-eyed teen headed towards the fireplace, while I began walking across to the other side of the humongous room. Each of our footsteps could be heard tapping against the floor, which made the atmosphere even creepier since practically every little sound echoed in here.

"I swear, this room always feels like it's expanding." Chris said out of the blue. He clearly didn't like staying quiet while wandering around in the dark ... but, to be fair, neither did I.

"I know. It's a huge place." I looked back at him, just as he pressed one of the buttons that were on the edge of the plasma TV. "It's not gonna turn on, man. The power is being weird."

Chris turned his back on the fireplace and returned my gaze from across the room. "Huh..." He breathed, evidently confused.

"Oh! There are a few candlesticks over here." I said as I started walking over to a long, wooden dresser that was against the wall. "Maybe we can light-" I cut myself off, coming to a sharp halt in front of the dresser and forgetting all about the candles when I saw something lying there on the surface. It was a picture ... and at the sight of it, my eyes widened a little. "Holy damn ... I remember this..." I whispered to myself as I carefully pinched the edge of the photograph and picked it up to get a closer look.

* * *

 _ **\+ CLUE FOUND - PROM NIGHT PHOTO +**_

 _ **Note:** **A photo of Hannah, Sam, Russell, Mike, Scott, and Emily at the high school prom. Hannah and Scott have distinctive tattoos.**_

* * *

There were six people in the photo. Emily was the furthest one to the right, all primped up in a bold blue gown with a rare smile decorating her face. Beside her, Scott was wearing black dress pants with a light grey undershirt, a long black tie, and a burgundy jacket made out of velvet. His tattoo of a dark blue lightning bolt was also exposed and he had one of his arms looped around Emily's shoulders in a friendly manner. Then, on Scott's opposite side, there was Mike, who was wearing a tux that looked like it had been tailored for James Bond and flashing the camera a confident grin ... completely unaware of the bunny ears that he was receiving from Scott's other hand.

I was next, wearing black slacks with an unbuttoned jacket, a sleek beige vest, a matching bow tie, and a solid white undershirt. A handsome smile was printed across my face and one of my arms were locked around Sam's waist. She was to my left, looking just as beautiful as ever in her pink and black lace dress with one of her hands pointing at the camera in the position of a gun. The rose corsage that I'd given her was also wrapped around her wrist. And lastly, there was Hannah, who was showing off her butterfly tattoo in the strapless, skintight, black dress that she had picked out in the hopes of being noticed by Mike. Although, her taut smile gave it away that she didn't like me being there.

" _That night was one hell of a blast ... definitely one of the greatest nights in my entire life._ _.._ " I mentally sighed. " _We were all so happy back then ... I miss those times..._ "

"Hey, Russell." Chris spoke up, yanking me out of my concentration. "What's that you got there?"

Turns out, I'd been so distracted in the picture that I hadn't noticed him walk over from the other side of the room.

"See for yourself." I replied, trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice as I passed the prom photo over to my bespectacled friend.

Chris automatically sucked in a harsh breath. For a moment, he studied the photograph with sad eyes and said nothing. Then, he turned it over and revealed a small message that was written neatly across the back.

* * *

 **04.25.13**

 **Ready for the Senior Prom!**

 **Hannah/Sam/Russell/Mike/Scott/Emily**

* * *

"Memories..." Chris sighed and shook his head softly. "I remember taking this picture for you guys."

A small smile managed to weld up on the corners of my lips as I attempted to put a positive spin on our discovery of the photo. "Oh, yeah. You made one hell of an _awful_ photographer." I teased with a couple of light chuckles. "I swear, you took an eternity trying to figure out which button was the correct one to push."

Chris let out a low laugh. "That's complete bull crap and you know it. It's not my fault that your camera is so advanced." He flashed me a toothy grin as more snickers poured out of his mouth. "And at least I did a better job at playing the role of a photographer than Josh."

I nearly snorted, recalling how Josh had offered to be the one to take the picture of the six of us. Caught up in trying to figure out how to use my camera, he ended up blinding himself with the flash when he accidentally snapped a photo of himself. It was of him looking down at the camera, except only his eyes and forehead could be seen. So, to make a long story short: it was hilarious as hell and Chris decided to step in to work the camera.

"Okay, I can't argue with you there." I chortled. "But still ... I think we can all agree th-"

Before I could get the chance to finish my sentence, there was this noise in the near distance. It sounded like glass being shattered. In less than a second, the amusement disappeared from me and Chris like it was never there. We both spun around on our heels and became as stiff as statues as we laid our eyes on the staircase. Whatever that noise was, it'd came from upstairs.

"Russ ... you heard that too, right?" Chris whispered after an eerie pause.

I kept my eyes locked on the stairs and took a small step towards them. "Yeah, I did." I answered just as quietly.

"What the hell do you think it was?" The spectacle-eyed teen was clearly freaked out. "You don't think ... there's _somebody else_ in here, do you?"

I shook my head. "No way, that's impossible. Aside from us and the rest of the gang, there's nobody else on this entire mountain." I took a couple of more steps, these ones much more brisk, and stopped directly in front of the staircase. "I think we should go take a look."

Chris, who had started waving the lighter from left to right again, immediately snapped his attention back over to me. "Uhh ... you actually want us to go _towards_ the creepy, unexplained noise?" He demanded.

"Well, we need to go upstairs for the deodorant anyway. We might as well check to see what it was."

I shined my light on the flight of stairs and began to walk up them, being cautious with every step.

"Scarface-" Chris called.

* * *

 _ **(CHRIS CHOICE)**_

 _ **X Follow Russell/Stay Downstairs X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Follow Russell**_

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Russell's Character Traits: Brave +1 (9/10)**

 **Chris's Character Traits: Brave +1 (2/10)**

* * *

"-wait up!"

Chris placed the photo back down on the dresser, right before he hurried after me. The stairs creaked beneath our boots and as we made it up to the third floor, we saw something that we didn't expect. One of the windows, for some weird reason, was wide open and allowing gusts of icy wind to blow into the lodge. The shutters were going crazy, flapping all over the place and filling the air with spooky squeaks. Not only that, but just below the open window, there was at least a dozen pieces of shattered glass lying on the floor.

"Brr!" Chris shivered after ascending up the final stair. "It's freakin' freezing up here! What the hell is that window doing open?"

"I have no clue ... but..." I positioned my phone so the light fell down on the broken shards. "I guess that solves the mystery on the strange noise. The wind must've knocked a vase or whatever this was over."

The bespectacled teen still sounded a little uneasy. "Yeah, I guess so."

I carefully stepped over the shattered pieces of glass. The frigid breeze smacked me harshly in the face as I then reached my unoccupied hand out the window to close the shutters. When that was over, the whole lodge seemed to fall silent and for a moment, I felt relieved. But then, through the slim openings of the slats, something caught my attention. It was the large, dead oak tree that the triplets and I used to love playing around when we were kids. The branches were still stretched out like a sea of wide-open arms and blanketed with snow, and the old tire swing was still hanging on the left side. But ... what _really_ had me looking at that tree again was the memory of what was on the _right_ side.

"Hey..." Chris cautiously stepped over the broken glass and looked out the window with me. "What are you looking at?"

There was a short moment of hesitation before I answered with an abrupt question, "You see that oak tree out there?"

"Uhh ... yeah. It's kinda too big to miss." Confusion dripped from the spectacle-eyed teen's voice as he raised a brow at me. "Why?"

I folded my arms, still holding my phone in one hand. "My favorite dog is buried to right of it." As I spoke, my tone became sore again. "He was a golden retriever. His name was Muffin and he died from old age when I was ten. It hurt me so bad to the point where Scott begged his parents to let Muffin be buried here ... under that exact oak tree. That way, when we played out there, it would be like Muffin was still playing with us."

* * *

 _ **\+ CLUE FOUND - DOG'S GRAVE +**_

 _ **Note: Russell's family dog, Muffin, was buried on the estate's property nine years ago.**_

* * *

Chris sighed. "Russ..." He turned to me with a small frown. "I know you're probably getting sick of hearing this question, but ... are you sure you're alright?"

I returned his gaze a little sullenly. "He was my best friend for thirteen years, Chris ... of course, I'm still trying to get used to this whole new life of mine without him ... as well as Hannah and Beth." I quietly exhaled, filling the air with a misty cloud from my breath since it was still cold up here. "Not a day goes by where I don't miss them ... and I'm hoping that by the end of this trip, I'll finally be able to say goodbye to the past and move on."

"Yeah..." Chris nodded with empathy. "Me, too..."

With a huff, I uncrossed my arms, snapped myself out of it, and focused on the present again. "Well, onward to the bathroom." I said to my bespectacled friend.

After stepping over the pointy shards again, the two of us started to stride down the right side of the loft. Although, just as I was about to enter the same teeny-weeny hallway that I had walked through while looking for interesting things to take pictures of last year, I ceased in my tracks when I noticed Chris suddenly stop a little further back. I followed his curious gaze, only to realize that he was staring at a shelf that was beside the overhang of the balcony. It was cluttered with hundreds of worn out books and dusty board games ... but there was something else that was being illuminated by the moonlight.

"What's that?" Chris wondered, already starting to approach the shelf. I didn't know whether that question was addressed to me or himself, but I followed shortly behind to see what the glimmering object was.

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Chris's Character Traits: Curious +1 (7/10)**

* * *

After making it to the shelf, Chris picked the item up and turned it over to reveal what it was to both of us.

It was a silver trophy in the shape of a video camera, addressed to Bob Washington.

* * *

 _ **\+ CLUE FOUND - FILM TROPHY +**_

 ** _Note: An award for a movie that Josh's dad directed._**

* * *

 **WINNER**

 **Best Horror Film 2009**

 **Dir. Bob Washington**

 **''Blood Monastery"**

* * *

I reread the small, perfectly polished plaque from over Chris's shoulder. "Hey, I remember that movie." I said, recalling the memory with a faint smile. "We were thirteen when Josh invited you, me, Sam, and Ash over to watch it with him since Hannah was at book club, Scott was at basketball practice, and Beth was out on a date."

A brilliant shade of red swept across Chris's face at the mention of Ashley, and I had a hunch as to why. Back when we watched _Blood Monastery,_ Ashley practically clung to his side the entire time and hid her face in his shirt whenever a jump-scare made her scream. That was around the time when I found out about Chris's crush on her.

The bespectacled teen gently sat the trophy back down and turned to make eye contact with me. "Russell? Can I ... ask you something?" He asked slowly.

"You just did." I replied.

A vague snicker escaped Chris's mouth. "I'm serious."

I peered over my shoulder at the sound of the house settling. "Well, all right ... but we better hurry." I glanced back at my friend. "What's on your mind?"

Chris rubbed the back of his neck, still holding the lighter in his other hand. "Can you see me ... _ever_ asking Ash out?" His tone was hesitant and nervous. "I mean, I _really_ like her. She's so pretty and smart and easy to be around ... but she's also Scott's ex ... and I wouldn't want to make her feel pressured or any-"

"Chris..." I interjected in a somewhat gloomy voice. "Believe me ... Scott really loved Ashley. He would want her to move on in her life and be happy. So, if you want to ask her out ... I say go for it. Don't hold yourself back out of fear."

Chris still seemed a little self-conscious. "And what about you?" He inquired. "What do you think about the whole thought of me and her as a couple?"

* * *

 _ **X Honest (It'll take me some time to get used to...)/Evade (It doesn't matter...) X**_

 ** _Choice Chosen: Evade_**

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Russell's Character Traits: Honest -1 (7/10)**

 **Chris's Relationship Status: Russell +1 (7/10)**

* * *

The last thing I wanted to do to Chris was demolish his confidence. So, I gave a nonchalant shrug and decided to evade the question.

"It really doesn't matter what I think, man. In the end, it's your life and your decision." I said, which really did have at least some truth sprinkled in there. "Like I just said, if you _really_ wanna ask Ash to be your girlfriend, I say go for it."

Apparently, Chris took major reassurance in my words. "All right ... thanks, Scarface." He grinned confidently. "I really needed that."

"Don't mention it. That's what friends are for." I waved my hand at him dismissively. "Now, let's go get that deodorant. The girls are probably pissed at us for taking this long."

I started walking away from the overhang of the balcony, hearing Chris following shortly behind. We continued to wave our light sources around as we entered the small, narrow, dusty hallway. Nothing at all had changed about it since my prior walk-through last year. Although, just as I made it down to the opposite end and was about to exit through the next set of open doors, I froze in my tracks and immediately turned myself at the waist when I heard Chris release a frightened yelp. That's when I saw him holding the lighter out towards the wall, where a series of weird masks were hanging above the love-seat.

I couldn't resist barking out a laugh. "Relax, Cochise. Those are just masks. Nothing to be scared of." After that, I turned away and strolled through the next doorway.

The bespectacled teen groaned, but I couldn't tell if he was annoyed, embarrassed, or both. Then, instead of saying anything back, he strode out of the hallway and decided to start leading the way again. Since this part of the Washington lodge was practically glowing with moonlight, I decided to click my phone off and return it to my pocket. Chris, on the other hand, refused to flick the lighter off and continued to use it as we approached the bathroom door.

Chris pushed it open and entered with me in pursuit. The granite counters, the beautiful paintings, the Jacuzzi bathtub, the polished stone floor ... everything still looked unbelievably fancy and too good to be true. To this day, I still wish that my family was wealthy enough to spare money for cool appliances and knick-knacks like all of this.

I watched Chris as he knelt down in front of the cabinet and opened it. Sure enough, the spray-can was sitting right there.

An accomplished grin formed on Chris's face. "Ahh, perfect." He reached his hand in to grab it.

Suddenly, a ferocious creature shot out at the speed of lightning and jumped at him. Its mouth was wide open and its fur was sticking up in a variety of directions.

"AHH!" Chris screamed as he lost his balance and toppled backwards.

"WHOA! CHRIS!" I hollered at the exact same time. I attempted to catch him, but the jump-scare was so unexpected that we both ended up collapsing to the floor in terror. "HELL!" I yelled from the harsh impact, just as the vicious creature dove over us and scurried off into the darkness.

Chris quickly scrambled back up onto his feet. "What the shit?! That son of a-" He cut himself off and shuddered, right before he offered his hand down to me. "Damn, Russ, are you alright?"

I groaned in discomfort. "Yeah ... your elbow rammed me in the ribs pretty hard, but don't worry. I'll live." I took a hold of his hand and he helped pull me back up, right before he scooped the spray-can up from the floor. "Although, by this point, I'm starting to reconsider what's _really_ worse ... the woods _or_ this lodge." I muttered as I rubbed my side.

Chris looked at the deodorant. "Well, at least we have this now. Maybe this place won't feel so freaky when we get the rest of the gang in here."

* * *

 _ **& SCENE CHANGE&**_

"We're freezing our buns off out here!" Ashley's voice complained from the opposite side of the door.

"Hartley! Curtis!" Lucas called out, tapping his knuckles loudly against the window. "What the hell is the hold up in there? Get us in already!"

Chris rolled his eyes, but neither him or I bothered to say anything back as we returned to the foyer. Instead, Chris shook the can of deodorant and positioned the lighter near the lock.

"Fire in the hole!" I announced, right before the bespectacled teen started spraying. A wave of fire immediately formed before our eyes and we turned our heads away from the scorching heat, feeling it chase the cold away from our faces in less than a second.

After he was done, Chris sat the deodorant aside on a nearby windowsill and I cringed when he grabbed the metal knob with just his bare hand. It must've been blistering hot ... and that was confirmed when a painful gasp immediately lurched out of Chris's throat. As soon as he yanked the door open, he shook his hand in an attempt to cease the stinging sensation on his skin.

" _Finally!_ " Lucas grumbled as he grabbed his grey duffel bag from the pile of luggage.

"Oh, thank Christ." Chelsea breathed at the exact same time, rubbing her hands up and down her arms.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." Chris took a corny bow, making Ashley and Sammy shake their heads at them. "We'll be here all week."

"Sorry about the wait." I apologized. "It was kinda hard to walk around in-"

A girly shriek belonging to Chris abruptly cut me off. I looked down just in time to see the same furry critter from upstairs dart past us. Chris jumped back in a mixture of fear and shock, while I jumped from getting caught off guard by his scream. Then, as the little creature bounded down the stairs, Chris's cheeks burned in embarrassment from the sound of Ashley, Sam, and Chelsea giggling at him. Lucas, on the other hand, pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head in disapproval.

"Crap, that thing freaked me out." Chris murmured.

"What was it?" Ashley asked, still giggling. "Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah, we're alright..." I quietly exhaled and nodded, still feeling my heart racing from Chris's scream. "But I don't have a clue what that thing was."

Chris turned to me. "It was like a bear or a tiger or something-"

Lucas scoffed, but didn't comment.

"Aw, it was just a cute little baby wolverine." Sam cooed in a baby voice as Josh came skipping up the steps to plant a kiss on Chelsea's cheek. I wonder what it was that he had to go and work on.

"Baby?" Chris inquired in disbelief.

Josh chuckled a little at him. "Don't worry, buddy, you're gonna be a big boy soon."

As everyone started to pile in, I unzipped my ski jacket and hung it up on the coat rack that was in the upper left corner of the foyer. Although, since it was still a little chilly in here, I decided to keep my denim jacket on over my camouflage T-shirt.

"Home sweet home." Josh said with his arms held out at his sides in delight.

"'Sweet' is not the word I'd use." Matt commented as he sat the luggage that he'd been carrying down.

Chelsea, who had been wheeling her leopard-print suitcase beside him, immediately nudged him in the arm. "Don't be rude, Matt." She murmured.

The jock shook his hands, more than likely trying to relieve any strain that had built up in his fingers from the bags. "I wasn't trying to be rude." He muttered back with a small sigh.

I walked alongside Sammy, draping my arm around her shoulders as she took a long glance around the massive room. Judging by the look in her eyes, it was obvious that she was caught up in recalling hundreds of memories ... both good and bad.

Lucas practically tossed his duffel bag over to where the rest of the luggage was, causing it to land perfectly beside Chelsea's suitcase. Then, he plopped himself down in the armed chair that was closest to the fireplace, keeping his legs flung over the arm as he absently scrolled through his iPod.

"Oh my gosh, it's _so good_ to be inside." Ashley declared as she rubbed her hands together. "Even if it's still kinda freezing in here."

"I'll get a fire going." Josh offered, sending a wink over in Chelsea's direction before he approached the fireplace.

The caramel-skinned girl playfully rolled her eyes and took a seat on the edge of one of the marble coffee tables.

"This place barely looks any different." Matt noted, looking around.

Lucas peeked up at him. "Well, it _has_ only been a year."

Josh grabbed a log and positioned it inside of the fireplace. "Yeah, nobody's been up here." He confirmed, picking up another log.

"Even with all the police coming in and out?" Ashley asked.

A small, internal piece of me winced at the mention of the police investigation. I glanced over at Josh, but couldn't see the expression on his face since he was still working on getting a fire started.

"Not a lot of action up here lately." Chris said, evidently trying to switch the subject over to something else.

"Nope." Josh popped the 'p' and placed a third log into the fireplace, just as Matt seated himself on the other coffee table.

I scanned everyone, suddenly starting to feel a bubble of confusion form in my brain. " _Huh..._ " I thought to myself. " _That's weird ... Ethan's not here yet ... I wonder what could possibly be keeping him..._ "

Just then, there was the sound of footsteps coming from the foyer. I turned my head and saw that it was Mike and Jess striding in.

"What's up, party people!" Mike greeted as he threw his arms up into the air.

"Heeey!" Jessica drawled with a wave.

"Hey!" Josh called back to them.

Almost instantly, Matt and Lucas lifted their heads to stare at the Class President. I didn't have the slightest clue as to what was going on in their minds, but Luke looked pretty pissed about something all of the sudden. Though, Mike didn't seem to notice. He was caught up in approaching me, still wearing that grin of his.

"Russell! Hey, man!" He held his arm out and offered me a hand. "What's goin' on?"

Mike and I didn't exactly leave off on the best note after what happened last year, but...

* * *

 _ **X Cold Greeting (Save your breath, Munroe...)/Warm Greeting (Good to see you!)**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Warm Greeting**_

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Mike's Relationship Status: Russell +1 (8/10)**

* * *

...this whole party was supposed to center around having fun while finding closure. The last thing I wanted to do was stir up any unnecessary drama, especially in front of the whole group. Plus, I hated holding grudges against people (excluding Emily) and Mike cared enough to come back this year with the rest of us. So, I put a smile on my face and withdrew my arm from around Sam to meet Mike halfway.

"Oh, you know ... same old, same old. It's good to see you again!" I grabbed Mike's hand and the two of us pulled each other into a manly hug, in which we pat each other on the back a few times before separating. "You and Jess still like to be fashionably late, I see." I said with a couple of teasing snickers.

"You know it, bro. Showing up on time is _so lame._ " On his two final words, Mike made his voice sound like one of those ditsy girls from the high school movies. That had us both chuckling ... but then, something flashed across Mike's pale brown orbs and his grin wavered a little. "So..." He said, suddenly cautious, "...how are you doi-"

"I'm doing fine." I interjected, already knowing where he was going with this. "Really, I'm doing just fine and I'm glad to be back."

"Well, that's good." Mike grinned again, but I could still see some concern glimmering in his eyes. "Glad you could join us."

I gave a faint nod. "Same to you."

After that, the Class President swiveled around on his heels and walked back over to the fireplace. I, on the other hand, decided to lean against one of the pillars. For a moment, Josh and Mike exchanged a conversation that was too quiet to be heard. Whatever it was about, it had them both chuckling and shaking their heads in amusement. It was good to see the two of them getting along ... especially since Josh almost punched Mike's lights out last year. Quick tip: _never_ piss Josh off, especially when he's in the middle of a hangover.

"Make yourself at home, bro." Josh said, no longer whispering.

Mike saluted him and opened his mouth to say something out; but before he could, Lucas beat him to it.

"Oh, I think he's already a few steps ahead on that offer, Josh." He swerved around in the armed chair, placing his feet against the floor as he flicked his electric blue eyes over to Matt. "Don't you think so, Matt?"

"Yeah." Matt confirmed with a harsh edge. His face hardened into a hostile stare as he locked his attention back on Mike. "Come on in. Take a load off. Have whatever you want." He suddenly rose up onto his feet and began to close in on the Class President. "You just take whatever you want anyways, right?"

I couldn't resist cocking an eyebrow in confusion. The whole room suddenly felt thick with tension, but I didn't have a slightest clue as to what was going on. I glanced over at Chris to see if he could provide an answer, but all he did was raise his shoulders in uncertainty. I did the same to Sammy and Ashley afterwards; but Sam also shrugged and Ash didn't notice my stare. She was trying to distract herself from the situation by pretending to fiddle around with her beanie.

"Whoa." Mike said, taking a small step back. "Easy there, cowboy."

* * *

 _ **WASHINGTON LODGE**_

 _ **22:28**_

* * *

 _ **(MATT CHOICE)**_

 _ **X Warn (Stay away from Emily.)/Challenge (I saw you and Em.) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Warn**_

* * *

"Mike, stay away from my girlfriend." Matt abruptly warned.

My eyes widened a little at how dangerous he sounded. I don't get it ... Matt usually wasn't like this. He was the type of person who constantly thought with his heart and almost always went with the flow to avoid trouble; so, whatever was getting him to behave the way that he was must've been pretty bad.

Chelsea's eyes were just as wide as mine, observing the two guys in a mixture of confusion and shock.

"Dude - what are you talking about?" Mike asked, sounding genuinely confused.

" _Stay away_ from Emily." Matt repeated his previous order with much more force.

"Emily? Why would I want anything to do with Emily?" Mike demanded.

By this point, Chelsea was up on her feet and striding across the room. She sandwiched herself between Matt and Mike, placing one of her hands flat against both of their chests.

"Okay, this is getting _way_ too intense between you two." She spoke with complete seriousness dripping from her voice. "You both need to calm the hell down before someone ends up taking things too far." She then turned to Matt, focusing specifically on him. "And, Matt, I may not have the slightest clue as to what's been pissing you off lately, but whatever your deal here with Mike is, I'm sure that it can be resolved _without_ violence." There was a brief pause, in which Chelsea glanced over at Josh, who was still crouched down in front of the fireplace. "This isn't the time or place to start bullshit..." Chelsea finished with a small frown tugging at the corners of her lips.

* * *

 _ **(MATT CHOICE)**_

 _ **X Attack (Quit being a dick!)/Back Off (Forget it.) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Back Off**_

* * *

Guilt swept across Matt's face as he took a few steps back. "Right ... right." He said, looking between Mike and Chelsea as he shook his head.

Mike moved Chelsea's hand away from his chest. "Something going on with you, man?" He inquired, squinting at the jock.

"Forget it." Matt continued to back up, raising his hands up to his shoulders. "I lost my head. Been a long day."

I nervously bit down on my bottom lip when I noticed the anger that was flickering in Mike's pale brown orbs. For a moment, I thought that he was gonna lash out on Matt in front of everybody; but those assumptions were chased away as soon as Chelsea slid his hands into the pockets of her leather jacket and shot Mike a warning glare. In return, the Class President huffed in annoyance and glanced back at the jock. Why do I have the feeling that the emerald-eyed girl brought her pocketknife with her on this trip?

"Yeah ... well ... try not to lose it again." Mike yielded as well.

"Oh, you've _got_ to be bullshitting right now!" Lucas suddenly leaped up from his seat, leaving his iPod in the armed chair. "That's _really_ all you're gonna do, Matt? You're just gonna let this bitch off the hook for what he did?"

Mike immediately snapped his attention over to Ashley's cousin. "Excuse me?" He growled, making Ash wince from knowing what was about to come.

"You're excused, Munroe." Lucas sneered as he stared directly into Mike's eyes. He gestured in the direction of the foyer. "The door's that way. Don't let it hit you in the ass on the way out."

* * *

 ** _..BUTTERFLY EFFECT UPDATE.._**

 ** _(The Soul of Discretion) -_ Ashley tried luring Matt away from the telescope; Ashley encouraged Matt to see afterwards; Matt saw Mike and Emily flirting; Matt trusts Ashley less; ****Lucas looked through the** **telescope; Lucas knows about Mike and Emily; Matt confronted Mike, but backed off; Lucas stepped in and confronted Mike instead.**

* * *

Flames started to flare up in Mike's eyes.

"Hey, Luke, calm down. Let's not do anything rash..." Matt tried to reason with a hint of nervousness embedded in his voice. "Really, it's fine..."

Lucas scoffed and cut a glance over at the jock. "'Fine' my ass! Matt, you _always_ let people get away with trampling over you and I'm sick of it! So, if you're not gonna put this prick in his place, I will!" He turned back to Mike, narrowed his eyes, and lowered his voice into a bitter snarl. "So, Munroe ... you must be feeling _really_ happy with yourself right now, huh? Is that idiotic ego of yours all puffed up and feeling good?"

I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling the tension in the room starting to thicken all over again. There were no words in all of existence that could possibly describe how uncomfortable this whole situation was.

The look on Mike's face gave it away that he was both confused and impatient. "What the hell are you talking about, Lucas?" He questioned.

"Oh, cut the crap, Michael!" Luke ordered as he gave the Class President a sharp jab in the shoulder with his finger. "You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about!"

"Ow! Hey!" Mike stumbled back a small step and increased the force in his voice. "Cool your jets, man!"

Chelsea quickly stepped up again. "Luke, didn't you hear what I just said? This isn't the time or place to start bullshit." She placed one of her hands on Luke's shoulder and grabbed his arm with the other. "You _really_ need to calm down."

Lucas jerked himself away from her. "This doesn't concern you, Chels!" He barked, causing the emerald-eyed girl to fold her arms impatiently. "Stay out of it!"

"Hey! There's no need to talk to her like that!" Matt came to Chelsea's defense almost immediately. "Let's all just ... take a deep breath and relax."

Luke rolled his eyes, flicking his attention over to the teen in the Letterman jacket once more. "This isn't a damn yoga class, Matt! I'm trying to help you here." He retorted, right before he turned to face the Class President again. "If I were you, Mike, I'd watch myself. From here on out, you better watch your mouth and you sure as hell better watch how you act around certain people. Wouldn't want the class Prez to attend to his duties with a black eye." Halfway through his final sentence, he took a step closer to Mike and held up a pale fist.

Jessica pushed herself to the edge of the couch, mining her posture as she shot a snooty glare in Luke's direction. Though, she (thankfully) said nothing.

"Seriously, what's your problem, emo freak?!" Mike exclaimed, shoving Ashley's cousin away from him.

" _Whoa, Mike!_ " My eyes were large, jumping back and forth between the two of them. " _Calling him that was pretty uncalled for._ "

Lucas regained his footing almost instantly and pierced Mike with a murderous stare. "I don't have a problem!" He bellowed. "Unlike you, I'm not a man whore who constantly has a hard time with keeping it in his pants! Have you ever heard of a cold shower?"

Chris emitted a low whistle and dropped his attention down to his boots. I then heard him mutter, "Oh ... shit..."

By this point, it looked like steam was about to flow out of Mike's ears. "At least I would have a reason to go and take one!" He snarled.

" _Ohh!_ " Lucas clapped his hands together a single time and bitterly chuckled, acting like he finally understood something. "I see what you did there, Mike. That was a crack about me not having a girlfriend, right? _Very_ clever." After a few more dark snickers, Lucas narrowed his eyes at Mike and placed his hands on his hips. "At least _I'm_ not sexually desperate to the point where I'll go sneak off with my ex for some dirty talk, even though she's dating one of my friends."

"Okay, you know what? I've had enough of you accusing me of bullshit that I didn't do." Mike threw his hands up to his shoulders and started backing away. "I'm going to be the bigger person here. I think it's about time for you to go back to wonderland with the mad hatter and all of the other freaks anyway."

At his last sentence, Ashley shot daggers in his direction and Jessica giggled. Lucas, on the other hand, remained unmoved and rolled his eyes.

"Better to be a freak than a walking STD." Luke criticized, waving his hand dismissively. He walked back over to the armed chair that he'd previously been sitting in and plopped himself back down, resuming his position with his legs tossed over the arm as he went back to scrolling through his iPod.

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Mike's Relationship Status: Lucas -2 (2/10)**

 **Lucas's Relationship Status: Mike -2 (-1/10)**

 **Matt's Relationship Status: Lucas -1 (5/10)**

* * *

With a huff, Chelsea leaned back against the stone wall of the fireplace and pushed a curl out of her face. At the same time, Matt retreated to the coffee table to reclaim his seat on the edge and Mike shot Lucas one final hard stare before he started walking away.

"Ohh-kay..." Sammy murmured through pursed lips. "Awkward..."

The whole room became engulfed in silence.

Mike refused to make eye contact with anyone, but a tiny grin managed to weld up on one of the corners of his mouth as he approached Jess. He took a seat beside her on the couch and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, at which Jessica snuggled up close to his side and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

I turned to look at my girlfriend, who had just walked over to join me against the pillar. "Well ... that could've been better." I whispered to her as I curled my arm around her waist.

"Okay, so this weekend is off to a _slightly_ rocky start." Sam admitted, right before she offered me one of those lovely smiles that I loved so much. "But don't worry about it, Russ. We're all just feeling a _teensy bit_ overwhelmed about being back here. Everything will even out eventually."

For a moment, I found reassurance in her words ... but then, there was the sound of boots clicking against the floor from the foyer. At first, I thought that it was the arrival of Ethan; but when I glanced over, I saw that it was really Emily. She was striding in like she owned the place, dressed in a ribbed/charcoal-colored turtleneck with designer black jeans, fur-trimmed boots, and an overpriced-looking leather jacket with matching fur-trim. My grin instantly crumbled away and I rolled my eyes.

" _Uh-oh..._ " I thought to myself with a small huff. " _Enter the dragon..._ "

"Oh. My god. That is _so_ gross." Emily said with detest, crossing her arms as she looked at the kissing couple. "Are you trying to swallow his face whole?"

Chelsea smacked her arms down at her sides in exasperation and mouthed what looked like an F-bomb to herself.

At the same time, Mike pulled away from Jess and shot Emily a warning look.

I lowered my head to Sam's ear, already feeling the tension starting to build up once again in the room. "I think we hopped on board with that promise a little too soon, Sammy." I whispered, at which she rolled her eyes at the others and let out a sigh.

"Em..." Matt began, rising to his feet again.

"Seriously, can she be any more obvious?" Emily asked.

"Jealous much?" I mumbled quiet enough for nobody else to hear.

Emily sneered at the beige-blonde. "Nobody wants in on your territory, honey."

Jess scoffed. "Excuse me, did you say something?" She stood and began to approach the Asian with a savage look in her eyes.

"Oh, did you not hear me? Was your sluttiness too loud?" Emily taunted.

I shut my eyes tight, knowing that this was just the beginning of another big blowout. " _Dammit!_ " I mentally huffed. " _One day without any drama ... is that **really** too much ask?_"

"Sounds like someone's bitter she didn't make the cut." Jessica jeered as she gestured to Mike, who had simply lounged back against the sofa.

Emily let out a short laugh. "Yeah, it's all a big cattle call with that dreamboat. Congrats, you're top cow."

"Cuts real deep calling Miss Homecoming a cow." Jess retorted almost immediately.

Matt rubbed the back of his neck, looking like he was trying to figure out what to do as his eyes flickered between the two snobs.

* * *

 _ **(MATT CHOICE)**_

 _ **X Provoke (That's uncalled for, Jess.)/Defuse (Chill out, Emily.) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Defuse**_

* * *

 _ **..BUTTERFLY EFFECT UPDATE..**_

 _ **(Whose on Your Side?) - Matt sided with Jessica during the fight with Emily...**_

* * *

"Em, come on-" Matt attempted to speak.

"No, shut up, Matt." Emily snapped, practically causing an explosion in Chelsea's emerald green orbs.

Lucas peeked up over the top of his iPod and scoffed. "Well, shit, bitch." Although, he went unacknowledged.

"Stay out of it, you dumb oaf." Jess ordered the jock with a pointed stare.

Chelsea's jaw dropped and I could've sworn that her cheeks were seconds away from transforming into two smoldering pools of lava.

Emily positioned her fingers like claws at her sides. "Hey, watch it-" She quickly defended.

The beige-blonde turned back to the Asian, glowering. "Oh, you're the only one who can put him down?" She condemned. "Nobody else can play with your toys?"

"You're such a bitch!" Emily exclaimed, looking like she was a mere moment away from ripping out every last strand of Jessica's hair.

I withdrew my arm from around Sam's waist and started to massage the sides of my head with my fingertips. I was starting to get a _huge_ headache from listening to those two bickering at each other and what made it hurt even more was knowing that we still had the _entire weekend_ to get through. There was no doubt in my mind that Emily and Jess were gonna remain at each other's throats possibly until the end of time ... but this getaway was supposed to provide us with peace and that clearly wasn't gonna happen if a fight broke out in the middle of the living room.

Then, just as I was starting to believe that this situation couldn't possibly get any worse, Chelsea stormed over to Emily and Jessica with a fierce scowl plastered on her face.

"Oh, for cryin' out loud, _you're both_ bitches!" She bellowed, causing the two other girls to snap their attention over to her so fast that I was surprised that neither of them received whiplash. "Believe it or not, nobody else in this room gives a damn about your petty rivalry with each other! How about you do the rest of us a favor and shut your stupid mouths the hell up?"

Jess snarled like a junkyard dog. "Keep your ugly ass out of this, Little Miss Nobody!"

Chelsea balled her hands into tight fists at her sides. "I'm warning you, _homecoming bitch,_ you're seconds away from knowing what it's like to choke on your own teeth!" The scorn in her voice took a sharp increase when she said the beige-blonde's homecoming title. "It hasn't even been five minutes since you sashayed your flat ass in here and instead of acting like a civilized human being, you decide to start a bitching contest with this dumb skank!" She gestured to the Asian. "I swear, the two of you are _beyond_ pathetic!"

Fire shot through Emily's eyes. "Oh, shut up and go back to the bridge that you crawled out from underneath, you worthless troll!"

Chelsea scoffed. "You have a haircut like _that_ and you're calling _me_ a troll?" She placed her hands firmly on her hips and took a step closer to Emily. "You better start thinking before you speak, bitch. I'm _sick_ and _tired_ of listening to you order Matt around like he's a slave."

Jessica rolled her blue eyes. "Please, it's not like _you've_ never given him any specific orders. Everyone here knows that you've gone to bed with him."

Chris shook his head and released a quiet groan. At the same time, Lucas pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance, Ashley started to nervously fiddle around with her beanie again, and Sam closed her eyes tight. I bit down on the inside of my cheek and rolled my eyes, feeling my patience starting to run thin; but when I cut a glance over at Josh and saw him stiffen at Jessica's comment, a piece of me still winced. After everything he's been through, the last thing he needed right now was the mental picture of his girlfriend sleeping with some other guy.

"Whoa, what?!" Matt squawked like he had just been accused of a crime. "Chelsea and I have _never_ slept together!"

Emily huffed harshly and turned to him. "Don't bother trying to hide it, Matt. It's not a secret to any of us that you've taken a few rides on those _massive_ thunder thighs of hers in the past."

Chelsea gritted her teeth, looking like she was seconds away from backhanding the two other girls. "That's a lie from the pits of hell and you two sluts know it! Do yourselves a favor and get it through your thick skulls already! I have _never_ spread my legs for my best friend and that's sure as hell _never_ going to change!" She snapped, her face growing redder with every word. "And for your information, Emily, I would _much_ rather have 'massive thunder thighs' than those sorry-ass toothpicks that you try to pull off as legs!"

Emily growled. "You want to say that again, dumbass?" She jabbed a finger roughly in the emerald-eyed girl's direction.

Chelsea folded her arms and scoffed. "So what if I do? You _really_ think that you can take me in a fight? I swear, Emelina, you're even more delusional than I previously thought." She then flicked her attention over to Jess. "Same goes for you, Malibu Barbie. You're both nothing more than delusional bitches."

"Whatever." Jessica turned away and walked back over to Mike with a taunting grin on her face. "I don't give a crap what you two think."

"At least I can think." Emily retorted, glancing back over at the beige-blonde. "4.0, bitch. Honor roll. Suck on that when you're trying to sleep your way into a job." She flashed a smirk at the end of her sentence, causing Lucas to let his head ball back in exasperation.

Jess spun back around, no longer grinning. "Who needs grades when you've got all the natural advantages you can handle?" She motioned to her whole body.

"Oh, please!" Chelsea rolled her eyes, her arms still crossed. "You call yourself natural? Your makeup makes it look like you're wearing a Halloween mask and you spent almost all of middle school stuffing your bra with toilet paper. That is, until you spilled lemonade all over your blouse and everyone in the cafeteria saw your boobs 'mysteriously' shrink." She uncrossed her arms and added air quotes around the word 'mysteriously.'

Jessica's eyes widened and an intense blush stained her cheeks. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, but when no words came out, Emily coldly snickered at her.

"And why exactly are _you_ laughing?" Chelsea demanded, scowling at the Asian. "It's not like you're any better than her! You're the tramp who had a pregnancy scare back in sophomore year. You know, back when you had sex with Nathan Thompson in the janitor's closet and then a few weeks later, your monthly friend decided to arrive when you were walking home from the hospital?" Her eyes shimmered slyly when Emily gasped. "Yeah, that's right. I know things, Miss 4.0 GPA. Oh, and by the way ... it was a bad idea for you to wear sleazy white shorts to your appointment."

Lucas almost chuckled at that, but overall, he was still pretty irritated by the cat fight.

"You're a bitch, Chelsea!" Jessica blurted out as she pierced the emerald-eyed girl with a much sharper glare.

Chelsea breathed a small laugh. "Do you _really_ think I give a damn? For all I care, you and Emily can kiss my ass."

"If you value your life, you better sleep with your eyes open tonight, Amberwood!" Emily hissed, right before she snapped her head back over in Jessica's direction. "And if _you_ really think that you're gonna get anywhere in life with a scrawny figure like _that,_ you're sadly mistaking."

"Oh! Well, look who's talking!" Jess quipped fiercely. "You couldn't buy a moldy loaf of bread with your skanky ass."

Emily laughed insultingly. "Are you serious?" She shook her head and rested her hand on her hip. "Do you think that's insulting?"

Jessica turned to face Mike. "That bitch is on crack or something." She commented, gesturing over to the Asian.

" _God, when is this gonna end?_ " I internally huffed. " _This isn't how Hannah, Beth, and Scott would want us to be..._ "

My lips trembled slightly at that thought, but I straightened them out to prevent myself from frowning.

* * *

 ** _(MATT CHOICE)_**

 _ **X Provoke (Shut your mouth, Jess.)/Defuse (Emily, stop!)/Order (That's enough, Chels!) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Provoke**_

* * *

"Jessica, you need to shut your mouth, okay?" Matt exclaimed, evidently still pissed about how the beige-blonde had brought up that false rumor of him sleeping with Chelsea.

Jess glared at him. "No! _You're_ the one who needs to keep _your_ nose out of other people's business!" She wagged her finger with every word she snapped.

Emily pointed at her and sneered. "I'm about to get right up in your business, you bitch!"

"Are we about to get real?" Jess challenged as she and Emily started closing in on each other. "Cause I am down to get real!"

* * *

 _ **X Speak Up/Stay Quiet X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Speak Up**_

* * *

"Emily! Jess! That's enough!" I proclaimed, flicking my gaze between the two snobs. "Seriously, it wouldn't hurt for the two of you to take a chill pill."

Jessica whipped around so fast that her Dutch braids flew for a moment. "Oh, shut up, Russell!" She snarled with pure hatred electrocuting through her eyes. "Nobody here gives a crap about what you have to say! So, why don't you go back to the ward where you belong and swallow some more of those pills?"

Chris's jaw practically dropped all the way down to the floor and Ashley flew her hand up to her mouth in shock. At the same time, my eyes widened to the point where I could've sworn that they were about to pop out of their sockets and Sam shot a venomous stare in Jessica's direction. Even Mike, who had been looking all around to avoid getting involved in the cat fight, was now gaping at his girlfriend in utter disbelief.

Sam sneered. "You know, Jess, bitches like you belong on leashes."

Jessica scoffed. "Oh, go cry me a river and mind your own business, Ms. Goody-Two-Shoes!"

"He _is_ my business!" Sammy retorted, gesturing to me. "You mess with him, you mess with me!"

I placed my hands gently on her shoulders in an attempt to calm her down. It might've not seemed like it, but Sam actually had quite a feisty side to her. She was usually so sweet and spunky, but if somebody pissed her off, she wouldn't hold back on speaking her mind.

"File your complaints elsewhere, bitch." Jess held up her hand, signaling for my girlfriend to silence herself. "I'm not interested in hearing them."

Sam's face burned in rage as she opened her mouth to retaliate, but she was cut off when Josh shot up onto his feet.

"STOP IT!" He yelled, causing almost everyone in the room to jump. "This is _not_ why we came up here. This is not ... helping. It's not what I wanted."

Chelsea's shoulders drooped and a frown broke out across her face as she sighed. It was obvious that she felt bad for being so heavily involved in the cat fight. After all, she'd been the one who said that this wasn't the time or place to start bullshit ... and yet, she had been sucked in to some.

With a guilty huff, Sam rested her head back against my chest and I planted a gentle kiss against her forehead to assure her that everything was okay. Although ... I couldn't seem to get what Jessica had said to me out of my mind.

"If we can't get along for ten minutes, then maybe we need a little bit of a break, right?" Josh went on as he glanced around at everyone. "Mike - why don't you check out the guest cabin? The one I told you about."

Mike nodded awkwardly and shot a quick, apologetic expression in my direction. "Yeah ... yeah, alright." He then stood up and held his hand out to Jess. "Want to go do that?"

"Any place without those whores." She sneered in reference to Emily, Chelsea, and Sam. Then, with a sassy turn, she took a hold of Mike's hand and the two of them started walking off.

"It's right up the trail." Josh called after the couple.

Mike gave a small nod over his shoulder, right before he and Jess disappeared through a set of hardwood doors.

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Russell's Relationship Status: Jessica -1 (2/10)**

 **Sam's Relationship Status: Jessica -1 (3/10)**

 **Sam's Character Traits: Brave +1 (8/10)**

 **Jessica's Relationship Status: Emily -3 (-1/10), Chelsea -3 (-1/10), Russell -1 (3/10), Matt -1 (3/10), Sam -1 (2/10)**

 **Emily's Relationship Status: Jessica -3 (0/10), Chelsea -3 (-2/10), Matt -1 (6/10)**

 **Chelsea's Relationship Status: Jessica -3 (0/10), Emily -3 (-1/10)**

 **Chelsea's Relationship Status: Brave +1 (8/10), Honest +1 (9/10)**

* * *

As the doors closed from the couple's departure, Lucas rolled his eyes and mumbled, "Well, I'm sure as hell not gonna miss those two."

Emily gave a long glare in the direction that Jess and Mike had left in. Then, with her arms crossed over her chest like a stubborn child, she spun around on her heels and stalked over to the luggage.

"Phew!" Matt breathed, making a motion that was supposed to represent his brain exploding. "Glad that's over..."

"Yeah, tell me about it." I agreed.

Josh was about to turn back towards the fireplace, but he stopped when he felt Chelsea's hand gently wrap around his wrist. The two of them made eye contact.

"Hey..." Chelsea's voice was soft and trickling with guilt, making it hard to believe that she'd been yelling just minutes before. "Listen, babe ... I'm sorry about getting involved in that whole catastrophe. I know that it was really out of line and I shouldn't have acted the way that I did ... especially since ... well, you know." It was obvious that she was referring to tonight being the anniversary when she said the last part.

For a second, I could've sworn that I saw something flicker across Josh's eyes; but it was gone before I could confirm whatever it was. Shortly after that, he offered the caramel-skinned girl a smile and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Don't worry about it, sweetheart. I know you didn't mean for any of that to happen ... but on the bright side, you're _really_ hot when you get all mad like that." He winked after his final word.

Chelsea playfully rolled her eyes. "My my, so am I forgiven?" She asked with a flirty note embedded in her voice.

"Hmm ... I'm not quite sure yet." Josh replied just as romantically. "I think I need some more convincing."

"Gladly." Chelsea smirked and looped her arms around Josh's neck, right before she stood up on her tiptoes and planted her lips passionately against his. As they kissed, Josh used one of his hands to caress Chelsea's hair and the two of them seemed to disappear into their own little world.

"Damn, how do those two breathe?" Lucas inquired in a sarcastic tone, raising a brow. "Through their ears?"

Matt pursed his lips and tilted his head at the kissing couple, as if he was wondering the same thing. He then approached them, looking slightly unsure of what to do at first. Eventually, after a couple of seconds, he tapped Josh on the shoulder and the couple separated from each other.

"So, Josh ... uh..." Matt spoke in a tone that made it clear that he was still trying to shake off the awkwardness. "Should we get this fire going?"

Chelsea chuckled. "Way to ruin the mood, Matt."

"Where's my bag?" Emily asked out of the blue, turning away from the pile of luggage to look at the jock.

Matt blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

"My bag! The ... the little bag with the pink pattern! The one I got on Rodeo!" Emily strained every word like this bag of hers was the most valuable possession in all of mankind. "Matt, are you listening?"

Matt still looked lost, but the glint in his eyes gave it away that he was trying to figure out what his girlfriend was talking about.

"Oh my God, don't you remember?" Emily went on, making me shake my head in annoyance. "Next to the Italian shoe place where I got the stilettos and you knocked over the rack while you were drooling all over that girl at the counter?"

"Well, I mean..." A pale blush melted across Matt's face. "She was asking about my letter jacket-"

"Right. Because she gave a shit about your 'designer' letter jacket." Emily insulted, even going as far as adding air quotes around the word 'designer.'

Chelsea rolled her eyes. "Unbelievable..." She muttered under her breath. "Just freaking unbelievable..."

"Why do you hate my jacket?" Matt questioned, holding his arms out at his sides in genuine confusion.

"Matt, I need my bag!" Emily snipped.

Matt was starting to sound a little exasperated. "Oh my God, Em, maybe you just forgot it-"

"Do you seriously think I'd forget my bag?" Emily demanded.

"Well, I-"

Emily cut him off. "Do you?"

There was a mere pause before Matt shrugged. "Guess not." He grumbled.

"You must've left it down by the cable car station." Emily noted.

The jock released a long, low, husky groan.

"Come on, hun." The Asian's persistence remained sturdy. "We'll be back soon."

Matt sighed in defeat. "And then we can get warm?"

A teasing smirk curled up on the corners of Emily's plump lips as she swayed her body. "We can get _very_ warm." She assured in a seductive tone.

I crinkled my nose in disgust and choked down a gag as I tried to burn that nasty mental picture out of my mind.

"Hold on a sec there, Drama Queen. Before you even think about dragging my best friend back out there into the snow, I have something to say." Chelsea remarked, shooting an icy stare at Emily before she turned to face Josh again. "Josh, darling, I'm gonna go with them. The last thing I want for Matt to face tonight on his own is Em's constant complaining out there in the freezing cold."

I flicked my eyebrows up, silently giving respect to Chelsea. There weren't many people that I knew of who would offer to do something like that ... especially if it involved a spoiled brat like Emily.

Emily's jaw dropped as she stared across the room at the emerald-eyed girl in a mixture of anger and disbelief. Nonetheless, before she could open her mouth to object, Josh spoke.

"Are you sure that that's a good idea, Chels? It's getting dark out there and the woods can get pretty spooky."

There was something about the way that he said 'spooky' that sent a chill down my spine. Like Chris, Josh has always been a jokester who lived for scaring the daylights out of his friends. Ever since we were kids, he would hide behind closed doors, pop out of closets, grab ankles from underneath the bed, and the list could go on for miles; but tonight, I had a feeling that he wasn't gonna be pulling any practical jokes like that. After all, he had a lot on his mind from the absence of Scott, Beth, and Hannah. So, whatever weird feeling that I was getting, it must've been from the paranoia of being followed when Sam and I were traveling up here.

Chelsea chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll protect Matt and Emily."

A good-natured grin swept across Matt's face and he lightly laughed at the joke. Emily, on the other hand, threw her arms across her chest and scowled.

"Oh, I'm sure you will." Josh snickered. He straightened his lips, as if contemplating, and then broke out into a smirk. "Alright ... just make sure that you hurry back so the two of us can have a little fun of our own." He wiggled his eyebrows slyly.

Chelsea playfully rolled her eyes. "I promise we'll be fast. Just make sure that you get the fire in here going before you start the one in your room." She pecked him on the lips one final time, and then started to walk away.

"Love you." Josh called out after her, still smirking as he crouched back down in front of the fireplace.

"Love you, too." Chelsea called back.

As she approached Emily and Matt, Emily raised a hand at her and scoffed. "Matt and I don't need _you_ to tag along. We are perfectly capable of going to get my bag on our own."

Chelsea slid her hands into the pockets of her grey leather jacket. "Well, that's a shame, Emelina," she said in a bittersweet voice, "because I'm not asking you. I'm _telling_ you that whether you like it or not, I'm accompanying you and my best friend to get your 'precious' bag back." She withdrew her hands to add air quotes around the word 'precious', and then she returned them to her pockets. "Either deal with it or keep your complaints to yourself." Chelsea finished, right before she vanished into the foyer.

A sneer crossed over Emily's face as she turned to Matt, as if she was expecting him to tell Chelsea that she wasn't going with them. Although, judging by the look on Matt's face, he wasn't planning to do that.

"Okay." He scratched the side of his head, right before he gestured in the direction of the foyer. "Okay, let's go."

With an irate huff, Emily threw her arms down at her sides and stormed out of the room. Matt's shoulders drooped a little as he followed, sending a small wave back at the rest of us before he disappeared out of sight.

Lucas buzzed his lips and flung his feet back down to the floor. "Well, as fun as this reunion has been," he said sarcastically, standing up, "it was a long drive up here and I'm in desperate need of a _long_ nap."

Josh packed another log into the fireplace. "You remember where the guestroom is, right?" He called curiously.

"Yep." Lucas popped the 'p' and swiped his duffel bag up again, already heading in the direction of the guestroom. "I'll see you guys within an hour ... or maybe two."

Sam quietly sighed when Josh then turned to us. Her face was still a little red due to how much Jessica's comment had angered her.

"Okay, I am gonna go take a bath." Sam said, evidently wanting to get out of the room that still contained so much tension.

I wanted to do the same thing ... at least until the awkwardness drained away.

"I'll help you get it ready, babe." I said.

Sammy's lips morphed into a faint smile, and I threw my arm around her shoulders as the two of us started heading up the stairs.

* * *

 **A/N: There's another completed chapter for you all! :D :D**

 **I hope you all had fun reading it! Please keep in mind, I look forward to feedback and I appreciate it very much. Don't hold back to share your opinions. Feel free to PM them to me or post them in the reviews at anytime. :) Please review and cast your vote on which of the new characters is your favorite! The poll is on my page. :)**

 **Also, just in case any of you are curious about the following things:**

 **1) _Where's Ethan? -_ Like I said in the previous chapter, don't worry. I didn't forget him. He'll appear sooner or later.**

 **2) _Why didn't you include some of the other clues from the game?_ \- Some clues will be found later on in the story.**

 **3) _Why are you splitting 'Jealousy' into different parts? -_ Because it's a long chapter in the game and I'm already over 26,000 words.**

 **Well, I believe I finished saying everything that I wanted to say. Stay tuned for the next chapter and remember to _always_ read carefully. You never know when something might end up being very important. ;)**

 **Happy reading and writing to you all! Thanks, everybody! :D :D :) :)**


	4. Jealousy (Part II)

**A/N: Greetings, my fantastic viewers! Are you all having a great day? I hope so! :)**

 **The time has finally arrived for the second part of _Jealousy._ :D Nonetheless, before we begin, I just want to take the time once again to thank everyone who is enjoying this story so far. I'm having a lot of fun bringing my new characters to life and I can assure all of you that there is still _plenty_ to happen with them, along with the original characters. ;) You are all awesome. **

**Keep in mind, I love and appreciate feedback very much. Don't hold back on sharing your opinions. Feel free to post them in the reviews or you can PM them to me at any time. Once again, I really appreciate it and I look forward to it. :D** **Please review!**

 **Warning : This chapter includes graphic details relating to self-harm and it mentions a suicide.**

 **Also, I still have a poll up on my page about who your favorite OC in this story is so far. Please, feel free to cast your votes. :)**

 **Well, I believe that's all I wanted to say. It's time for you all to get comfortable and enjoy the chapter!**

 **Happy reading to you all! :D :D**

* * *

 **Lucas's POV **

_**2\. JEALOUSY (PART II)**_

 _ **WASHINGTON LODGE CORRIDOR**_

 _ **22:33**_

I stood at the beginning of the long, dim corridor and shot daggers at the worthless lights above me. My pale hand was on the light switch, but no matter how many times I attempted to flip the switch to brighten my path, the lights refused to turn on.

"Dammit, Josh..." I muttered under my breath as I continued to fiddle around with the switch. "Wouldn't it have killed you to sort out the power before inviting us all back here? It's like walking around in Dracula's castle."

After a few more quick flips, I withdrew my hand from the switch and mumbled an F-bomb when I failed to get the lights to work. Then, while shaking my head in annoyance, I started walking down the dusty corridor. The old floorboards creaked with every step I took, echoing softly through the air. By the time I made it halfway, I froze in my tracks when something caught my attention from the corner of my eye. There, on a long ebony table that was against the wall, was a single candlestick with a box of matches lying next to it.

I cocked an eyebrow and picked up the tiny box to examine it. "Huh ... well ... that's coincidental." I murmured, right before I slid it open, plucked out a match, and struck it. Then, after using it to light the candle, I shook it out and picked up the candlestick with the hand that wasn't holding my duffel bag. The stupid flame only reached about a foot, but at least I wasn't wandering around in complete darkness anymore.

As I continued to pursue down the corridor, I waved my new light source from left to right. Although, when I came to a split in the hall, at which I could continue straight ahead or curve to the right ... I could've sworn that I heard the sound of footsteps coming from somewhere behind me. With no hesitation, I glanced over my shoulder to see if someone was following me ... but there was nobody there. All that was there were potted plants decorating almost every corner and a creepy, dusty, marble statue of a naked woman that had her arms delicately hiding her crotch and breasts. Who in the hell would want _that_ in their house? Either way, I didn't see anyone.

"Hello?" I called, just to be sure. "Somebody there?"

Nobody responded, causing me to roll my eyes and release a small groan.

"Those guys and their stupid, childish pranks." I grumbled disapprovingly. "I swear, if any of them try to scare me during this trip, they'll have some hell to pay."

A quiet yawn followed shortly after my last word, reminding me of just how tired I was. So, I turned back around and began my way down the right hall, still holding the candlestick. The flame gleamed against the wall, passing over God knows how many paintings that failed to capture my attention for more than a split second; but when I reached the end of the corridor and was about to turn down the next hallway, something on the wall made me stop. There were four similar sheets of paper hanging in fancy frames, positioned in the shape of a square. They were each pastel blue and decorated in small images of bright yellow ducks, pale pink balloons, and ABC blocks.

"Well, would you look at that?" I whispered as I raised the candlestick and leaned in to get a better look. "The birth certificates of the Washington clan."

* * *

 _ **White Petal General Hospital**_

 _ **Congratulations! It's A Boy!**_

 **Name: Joshua Andrew Washington**

 **Date of Birth: May 12, 1994**

 **Weight: 8 pounds 5 ounces**

 **Height: 20 inches**

 **Parents: Melinda and Robert Washington**

 _ **Dr. Judith Mitchell**_

* * *

For a moment, I stared sullenly at the doctor's signature. " _Well, well, well ... talk about a blast from the past. Congratulations on abandoning your only son and going back to your maiden name, Mom._ " Even in my mind, the sarcasm was loud and evident. Although, instead of dwelling on the fact that I hadn't seen either of my parents since the divorce, I shifted the candlestick slightly and decided to study the other birth certificates.

* * *

 ** _White Petal General Hospital_**

 _ **Congratulations! It's A Boy!**_

 **Name: Scott Joseph Washington**

 **Date of Birth: September 29, 1995**

 **Weight: 8 pounds 2 ounces**

 **Height: 20 inches**

 **Parents: Melinda and Robert Washington**

 _ **Dr. Chandler Clarke**_

* * *

 _ **White Petal General Hospital**_

 _ **Congratulations! It's A Girl!**_

 **Name: Bethany Karen Washington**

 **Date of Birth: September 29, 1995**

 **Weight: 7 pounds 6 ounces**

 **Height: 20 inches**

 **Parents: Melinda and Robert Washington**

 _ **Dr. Chandler Clarke**_

* * *

 _ **White Petal General Hospital**_

 _ **Congratulations! It's A Girl!**_

 **Name: Hannah Rose Washington**

 **Date of Birth: September 29, 1995**

 **Weight: 6 pounds 7 ounces**

 **Height: 20 inches**

 **Parents: Melinda and Robert Washington**

 _ **Dr. Chandler Clarke**_

* * *

As soon as my eyes landed on Hannah's certificate, unpleasant memories from last year started pooling into my brain. They made me feel like the walls were starting to close in on me, crushing my chest and slowly dragging the oxygen out of my lungs. My eyes grew slightly and I could feel an uncomfortable lump starting to form in the center of my throat. So, I swallowed harshly to get rid of it and took a small step back, feeling the warmth of the candle's flame starting to hit against my cheek.

The last time I was in this lodge, I was _sprinting_ down this exact hallway to save one of my friend's from a god-awful prank. I remember how slow everything felt back then, as if the night was suddenly playing in slow motion. My breathing was hard, my face was flushed, my heart was like a jackhammer ... and in the end, my fastest wasn't fast enough. I failed to save Hannah. It was _my_ fault that she was dead, along with Scott and Beth. If I had just been _a little_ faster, or if I hadn't made the mistake of eating a greasy sandwich on the side of my Jeremiah Cragg and ended up puking all throughout the setup ... the three of them would still be here.

"I'm sorry, Hannah." I whispered, tightening my grip a little on the straps of my duffel bag. "I'm sorry for not being there to save you in time. I miss you ... same goes for you two, Beth and Scott." An inaudible sigh escaped from my mouth. "Wherever you guys are now ... assuming that those Sunday morning sermons that I attend with Ashley are true and there _is_ some sort of afterlife ... I hope the three of you are safe and happy there. I wish last year didn't end the way that it did, but ... I can't do anything about it. You guys are dead ... and once again, I'm sorry for letting you down, Hannah."

I drew in a quiet, shuddering breath and turned away from the birth certificates. Then, as I continued down the next corridor with the lousy candle illuminating my path, I could've sworn that if I listened carefully enough, I could hear the sound of my loud footsteps charging across the floorboards from last year.

At last, I made it to the guest room. I sat my luggage down beside my feet and reached for the doorknob ... but stopped when my hand was inches away. The last time I opened this door, Sam was at my side and we were greeted with the sight of a distraught Hannah Washington. I still remember every detail of that dreadful event. Every time I closed my eyes, I could see her as clear as day, trembling in embarrassment and clenching her unbuttoned blouse with tears of betrayal rolling down her face. I wanted to comfort her so badly ... but she was out the door before I got the chance to do anything.

" _Dammit, Lucas_ _! **Stop** fixating on the damn past!_ " I glared down at myself, despite how I felt an ache inside of my chest. " _Dwelling on what happened isn't going to bring_ _Hannah, Beth, and Scott back. They're dead, for God's sake! **Dead!** Why in the hell is that so hard for you to understand? Whether your ass likes it or not, it's time to move on with your damn life. Shit happens ... so just get over it!_"

I lifted my head back up and grabbed the knob with a solid grip. An eerie _creak_ filled my eardrums as I then pushed the door open, revealing the guest room. Everything looked exactly as it did last year, completely untouched. The iron-wrought bed - where those sluts, Jessica and Emily had hid - was still topped with a thick, old-fashioned quilt and matching pillows. Above it, the slim window had its wooden slats opened, allowing a shower of blue moonlight to pour in and expose a sea of dust. The wardrobe - where Matt had taken refuge and recorded every single second of Hannah's humiliation - remained sitting in the upper right corner of the room. Also, for some weird reason, it was a hell of a lot colder in here ... but at least there was a fireplace embedded into the wall, right across from the bed.

"Holy shit! Is this supposed to be a guest room or an effing walk-in freezer?" I sneered to myself, automatically starting to shiver. "Ugh ... just bear with it, Luke. At least you're no longer freezing your ass off out there in the snow."

I retrieved my bag from the floor and rolled my eyes, recalling just how long it took for Chris and Russell to get everyone inside. As I entered the drafty room, I tried to ignore how much easier it was for noises to echo in here and sat the candlestick down on top of the fireplace's dusty mantle. Then, I approached the recliner - where that little twerp Ethan had hid last year - and as I dropped my luggage down on it, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye.

"Huh?" I turned my head and my eyes landed on a framed picture that was hanging on the wall.

It was of Josh and the triplets, taken no longer than two years ago at some type of extravagant park. The four of them were close together, leaning against the back of a fancy bench with the sunlight raining down like a shower of pure gold. They were in order from oldest to youngest, starting with Josh and ending with none other than Beth. Josh was treating Scott's shoulder like an armrest, Scott had his own arm looped around Hannah's shoulders, and Hannah herself had both of her arms occupied. One of them was swung around Scott's back and the other was intertwined with Beth's arm. Wide, joyful smiles were decorating each of their faces as well.

I grimaced, remembering just how awesome Scott was as a friend. He never judged anyone for anything and he was always there to talk to. Then, for a moment, I couldn't help but concentrate on just how lovely Hannah and Beth looked in the picture. Beth was wearing a sleeveless blouse that was the color of cotton candy and a pair of denim shorts with bedazzled sandals and some bangle bracelets. Her bob hairstyle had clearly been put through a curling iron, too. Hannah, on the other hand, had her hair styled in a neat French braid and was wearing a breezy white sweater with her favorite gold locket, some lavender converse, her cute square glasses, and a floral skirt that reached down to the tops of her knees.

" _The four of you used to be so happy together ... but now, everything is different. I hate that ... I hate that **so freaking much.**_ " I sighed and slowly raised my hand, carefully pinching the edge of the fancy frame with my fingertips. " _I can't look at this right now. Forgive me._ " I removed the photo from the wall and hung it up again shortly afterwards; but this time, it was positioned the opposite way so I could no longer see what the Washington siblings used to be.

"Before I sleep, I better get that fire going. Hopefully, I'll have better luck than Josh." I murmured.

However, just as I was about to turn around, I spotted something on the floor. It was behind the partition ... the place that marked Russell as an innocent bystander and Ashley (unfortunately) a culprit during the prank.

"What the...?" I lowered myself down onto one knee to get a closer look and cocked an eyebrow. The item was a little wooden statue that took the shape of a fox, and some of the details were colored in with dull yellow paint. "What the hell is this?" I wondered aloud, right before I reached for the mysterious statue, curled my fingers around it, and lifted it up to study it. Is this some sort of ... totem?

* * *

 _ **Totem Found: Guidance Totem**_

 ** _Information: Foretells a scene in which Russell freezes in his tracks and grabs a gun before hurrying out of a mysterious room._**

* * *

"Just as I was starting to believe that this lodge couldn't possibly get any more strange..." I muttered, touching my chin in thought as I continued to examine the weird artifact.

Suddenly, a new voice spoke up, "Luke?"

I immediately dropped the totem, leaving it to roll back behind the partition, somehow without producing hardly any sound. At the same time, I sprang up and turned around so fast that I was surprised that my head wasn't spinning in circles. My eyes immediately landed on who the voice belonged to. It was Ashley, who was standing in the doorway with curiosity masking her features. She must've removed her coat and scarf in the living room, leaving her in the bluish-grey hoodie that used to belong to Scott many years ago. He gave it to her shortly after he grew out of it in middle school, before they were a couple. She was also wearing a long-sleeved red shirt, blue-jean shorts, dark leggings, and her beanie. I didn't have the slightest clue as to why she thought that an outfit like _that_ would be appropriate for this trip, but I didn't bother to say anything about it.

"Oh, for Christ's sake, Ash!" I let out an exasperated huff. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

Ashley raised her hands up her shoulders. "Sorry, I'm sorry." She apologized sincerely. "I didn't mean to scare you."

I rolled my eyes and walked over to the fireplace, feeling my cheeks starting to burn. "I was _not_ scared." I grumbled as I knelt down and grabbed a log. "You just caught me off guard is all." I packed it into the fireplace, secretly hoping that I wasn't about to be attacked by a bat. Luckily, nothing flew out and all that came from the hallow space was another cloud of dust.

"Well, I just wanted to come and see if you were alright." Ashley shared.

I shot her a quick glance, hesitating for a moment before I picked up another log and stored it inside the fireplace. "Why wouldn't I be alright?" I asked.

My younger cousin pursed her lips and started to fiddle around with her nails, looking a little guilty. "You know ... because of Mike." She explained. "He really shouldn't have treated you the way that he did, especially when he called you a-"

I scoffed, interrupting her. "Do you _really_ think I give a shit about what some man whore like _Michael Munroe_ says about me?" I placed a third, final log into the fireplace and reached into the pocket of my aviator jacket to retrieve the matches. "He called me a _freak,_ for crying out loud. I've heard twelve-year-olds come up with insults that were a hell of a lot better than _that._ "

Ashley sighed. "Look ... I know that you and him have never really seen eye-to-eye, but that still doesn't give him the right to-"

I pulled the tiny box out of my pocket and slid it open, selecting a match. At the sight, Ashley cut herself off and her eyes expanded a little. The guest room fell silent, aside from the sound of the icy wind blowing through the trees outside and me striking the match. I tossed it into the fireplace and watched as fire began to slowly leak across the bottom of the logs. Then, just for a good measure, I decided to take out another match, strike it, and also flick it into the fireplace. Hopefully, this fire would grow and quickly heat up the freezing room.

"Lucas, where did you get those?" Ashley asked. She clarified the question when all she got in response from me was an arched eyebrow. "Those matches. Where did you get them?"

"Oh." I shrugged nonchalantly. "I found them."

My cousin finally entered the room, fast-walking across the floorboards in order to reach me. "Where?" She inquired.

"What is this? Twenty Questions?" I demanded in a sardonic tone. Then, I helped myself back up onto my feet and Ashley cranked her head up a bit so she could keep eye contact. "They were on a table in the hallway. I used them to light a candle since the power in this place is all janked up." For proof, I gestured to the candlestick, which was still sitting on the mantle above the fireplace with the small flame dancing around.

Ashley's shoulders sunk in relief. "Can you give them to me?" She asked after a small pause, in which she extended her arm out.

I gave her a pointed stare and refused to move, knowing exactly why she wanted me to hand the matches over. It made me bite down on the inside of my cheek so hard to the point where I was surprised that I wasn't drawing any blood.

I could still see some concern flickering in Ashley's dark green orbs as she kept her hand where it was. "Lucas, please..." She almost whispered. "Give me the matches."

* * *

 _ **X Obey/Refuse X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Obey**_

* * *

Without breaking our staring contest, I harshly slid the box shut and placed it in Ashley's palm. She immediately closed her fingers over the tiny item and stored it away in one of the pockets of her hoodie.

"There, happy?" I jeered, narrowing my eyes. "What are you going to do next, Ash? Find a fire extinguisher to put out the fire that I just started in the fireplace?" I crossed my arms over my chest and stalked over to the bed, taking a stubborn seat on the edge. "Nothing better than knowing that your own cousin doesn't trust you."

Ashley slowly exhaled, a frown forming on her face. "Luke, please don't say that. Don't think for a second that I don't trust you ... because I _do._ " She said as she approached the bed and seated herself next to me. "We've been closer than two peas in a pod ever since we were kids. We've always known each other like the back of our own hands ... but ever since what happened last year ... your behavior has changed completely and I can't help but worry about you." She took one of my hands in her own and gave it a tight, yet careful squeeze.

I internally cringed at the mention of last year and turned to look at my redheaded cousin. Despite the dull look that was on my face, I could feel that familiar ache returning to my chest. Except, this time, it was a lot sharper and much harder to ignore.

"You don't need to waste your time worrying about me, Ashley. I'm not a little kid anymore. I can look out for myself just fine." I spoke seriously, but there was still some slight sympathy embedded in my voice. "In case you've forgotten, I've been clean for three months now ... and I wasn't planning on breaking that streak anytime soon. Especially not when we're _here_ of all places."

By this point, I could've sworn that I saw water starting to glimmer in the corners of Ashley's eyes. "I wish you would stop saying that I don't have to worry about you! You're part of my family ... and being part of a family means that whether you like it or not, somebody is _always_ there to make sure that you're alright." She reminded as she pulled her legs up onto the bed and wrapped her arms tightly around her shins. "I still think back to that day, you know? ... Two months after the police investigation first started, I came home from school and called out to you to let you know that I was there ... but you didn't say anything back..."

I dropped my attention down to my lap and squeezed a little above my knee, where I knew a series of scars were hidden underneath the fabric of my jeans. "Ash..." I said, but she continued to speak.

"I just thought that you didn't hear me because you had your headphones in and was listening to music or something..." Ashley's tears slowly started to escape from her eyes and trickle down her lashes, making them shine. "...But there was this very uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach, telling me that wasn't it..."

I screwed my eyes shut and repeated myself in a much firmer voice, "Ash..." Though, once again, I was cut off by her bringing back the dark memory of my first breakdown.

"So, I went upstairs to check on you..." My younger cousin's shoulders started to shake and she rested her forehead against her knees, giving it away that she was trying her hardest to hold her sobs in. "A-and I found ... oh my God ... I found a pool of blood oozing out f-from underneath the b-bathroom door. The mirror was s-shattered, shampoo and conditioner was spilled all o-over the place, the shower curtain had been y-yanked down ... and you were balled u-up in the corner, crying hysterically w-with gaping cuts slashed all over your left arm. Y-you were clutching one of the broken pieces of glass from the mirror in your other hand ... a-and it was _covered_ in your blood!"

This time, I couldn't hold back the grimace. I still remember how painful the long, sharp piece of glass felt as I ran it against my skin. The stinging sensation was beyond torture, but that didn't stop me from slicing all the way from my wrist to the middle of my shoulder. Ashley had immediately reacted by calling her parents and breaking the speed limit all the way to the hospital, where I was transferred to the ER, hiked up on drugs, and all stitched up. Seriously, my arm looked like it was the result of a failed lab experiment ... but I didn't stop there.

Much to my dismay, I constantly went back and forth from cutting myself to _burning_ myself. One moment, it was my lighter ... and the very next, it was the stove. It got so bad to the point where Ashley and her parents started examining my arms on a daily basis ... but that only made things _worse._ I began harming my chest, stomach, and thighs ... and now, hidden beneath my clothes, there were hundreds of patches of bright red, mutated skin and long scars that perfectly resembled claw marks.

Even after getting through three months without causing myself any physical pain ... I sometimes still felt the sticky sensation of hot blood leaking down my skin, while my nostrils were tormented by the nasty smell of burning flesh. Just remembering those first few months without the triplets made my stomach churn.

"Ashley! Stop!" I barked harshly, grabbing her arm and giving it a firm squeeze.

A startled yelp escaped from Ashley's throat and she turned to me with tears rolling down her cheeks. Some of the tears were tinted black from her mascara, and as soon as her dark green orbs met my electric blue ones, I could've sworn that I felt my heart sink all the way down into my stomach. She was one of the only people in my life who _didn't_ think of me as a failure - one of the only people who actually saw me going somewhere one day. And even though I knew that "one day" would more than likely _never_ come, she constantly told me about how much she believed that it _would._ She didn't abandon me like my parents and she clearly wasn't ever planning to ... and yet, I treated her like shit. But I couldn't help it ... this was who I am.

"You think _I_ don't think back to that day? About how much my arm _effing_ stung? About all of the _damn blood?_ And what about all of those other times I sliced into my own skin or threw myself over a fire?" My breathing grew heavier and I could feel hot water starting to weld up in my eyes. "They are on my mind all the damn time! They _haunt me_ every second of every damn day! And guess what, Ashley? You might've seen my scars, but I've _lived_ and _cried_ my way through every damn experience that brought them into existence!"

"Luke, please ... stop..." Ashley whimpered, trying to tug her arm away from me. "You're hurting my arm..."

" _You **idiot!** " _I mentally screamed at myself. " _Let go of her! **Now!**_ "

With no hesitation, I yanked my hand away from my cousin's arm and clenched my eyes shut, forcing the tears to dry up.

"I'm sorry, Ashley ... I-I didn't mean to grab you like that." I sighed and eventually popped my eyes back open. "But ... you know what the saying says ... bad things happen to good people."

The redhead used her sleeve to clean her cheeks. "What's that got to do with any of this?" She asked, sniffling a little.

I glanced away from her, connecting my gaze to the wall as I answered like it should've been obvious. "It has to do with this because you're clearly a good person with a good life ahead of you ... and I'm the bad seed that you have to put up with along the way all because my dad couldn't remember to put on a condom."

"Lucas..." Ashley said pitifully.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't bother, Ash. I've already accepted the fact that I'm a shitty person." I turned my attention back over to her. "I'm not that annoying, little, naive boy who didn't have a damn clue about the harsh reality of this world anymore. I grew up, matured in my own way, and realized that _this_ is who I am." At the word 'this', I motioned to my whole body to indicate my wild hair, dark clothes, snake bites, and heavy use of eyeliner.

"But are you _really_ happy with the way that you are?" Ashley asked, still lightly shedding tears. "You don't _smile_ anymore. You don't _laugh_ anymore. You rarely attend school, you hardly want to come out of your room, you're constantly smoking ... and you barely talk to anyone anymore, including _me._ "

I stared down at my black converse, pressing my lips together to prevent myself from frowning. How in the hell was I supposed to respond to _that?_ She wasn't wrong about any of it. Actually, I can't even remember a time in which Ashley was _ever_ wrong. She was one of the smartest people that I knew. While I always had cigarettes, she always had books. While I sucked at school, she excelled at it. While I was so damn mean, she was so damn generous. Needless to say, we were complete opposites and it was a miracle that we were even involved in the same family tree.

"It's just not fair." Ashley sighed.

"Excuse me?" I demanded, starting to sound flustered. "What exactly is it that's 'not fair', Ash?"

" _This._ " My younger cousin frowned and continued to wipe her face with her sleeves, getting rid of every last tear. "Ever since what happened last year ... I'm constantly terrified of the possibility of finding you dead. We already lost Hannah, Scott, and Beth ... and every single day, I'm scared that we're going to lose _you_ next."

Not once in my life have I ever attempted to commit suicide, but that didn't stop Ashley and her parents from stressing over the thought. The doctors even suggested for me to attend a weekly support group just in case the awful idea ever crossed my mind, but I refused. Unfortunately, as of now ... I knew that Ashley was telling the truth about this whole thing not being fair.

"You're right, you're right..." I slowly nodded and hesitantly made eye contact with the redhead again. "I agree that it isn't fair for me to stress you and your parents out like this ... but I can assure you, Ash, you don't have to scared. I didn't drag my ass _this_ far in life just to end it all, so don't think for a second that you're gonna lose me." Slight sympathy started to trickle through my voice as I stretched my arm around my little cousin and held her close to comfort her. "No matter what happens, I'm always going to be here. Nothing is going to take me away, you hear me? I'm never going to leave you behind by any means ... so, don't worry about that."

Ashley's lips twitched, forming a faint smile. "Promise?" She asked.

I lightly bit down on my tongue. I was never the type of person who enjoyed making promises to anyone ... but this was one promise that I knew that I could keep. I needed Ashley just as much as she needed me, and there was _nothing_ in all of existence that was gonna separate us. Hell would have to freeze over before I _ever_ allowed anything bad to happen to my younger cousin.

"I promise." I confirmed, staring directly into Ashley's eyes. "Nothing is gonna separate us. Somebody can hold a blade to my throat and I would _still_ refuse to go anywhere without you. Like your mom always says ... family sticks together, right?" I was a little reluctant to say my last sentence. Not because I didn't think that it was true, but because I didn't want to sound sappy. Being sentimental wasn't exactly my strong suit, nor did I want it to be.

"Right." Ashley affirmed, right before she wrapped her arms around my six-foot-one frame to embrace me. "I love you, Luke."

Despite the total honesty that was glimmering in my eyes, my voice remained plain. "Love ya, too, Ash ... and nothing will ever change that."

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Ashley's Relationship Status: Lucas +1 (8/10)**

 **Ashley's Character Traits: Honest +1 (7/10)**

 **Lucas's Relationship Status: Ashley +1 (9/10)**

 **Lucas's Character Traits: Charitable +1 (5/10)**

* * *

Suddenly, there was the sound of something hitting the ground in the distance. Within seconds after it, the sound of Josh's voice could be heard exclaiming through laughter, "Ow! My ass!"

Chris immediately started to crack up. "Josh! Dude, are you okay?" He asked, their voices and laughter echoing all the way from the living room.

Ashley covered her mouth and lightly snorted. At the same time, a vague grin curled up on one of the corners of my lips and I rubbed my scarred arm to take care of an itch. From what I've been told, my smiles weren't so warm and welcoming anymore. Instead, they perfectly resembled sneaky smirks and it wasn't so easy to tell from them whether I was amused or getting ready to spew insults. I would never admit it, but at the moment, I was feeling slightly entertained.

"Is everything alright, guys?" Ashley called out, still giggling.

"Yeah, we're good!" Josh called back.

I swear, it was like somebody had dropped a bomb that was filled with laughing gas.

"Josh just tripped and fell on one of the logs!" The dirty blonde, hawk-haired teen cackled.

"I think it's possible that I got several hundred splinters!" The remaining Washington joked. "Cochise, you think you could check for me?"

"Uh ... sorry, buddy, but you're on your own there!"

My younger cousin snorted again.

A small chuckle almost escaped my system. I couldn't help but feel at least a tiny bit relieved over the fact that Josh still possessed a humorous and optimistic attitude. Usually, people like him with childlike personalities got on my last nerve rather quickly; and there were many times in the past in which Josh _did_ irritate me ... but, to be fair, it wasn't such a difficult task for anyone to test my patience. As of now, despite how ridiculous it might've sounded, I was actually _glad_ to hear such playful banter going on between two of my friends. Josh deserved to have as much fun on this trip as possible. After all, the whole reason he invited the group back to the mountain in the first place was so we could all rekindle the "good old times" and try to move on from whatever happened to Scott, Beth, and Hannah.

"Hey, Ash, we could really use some emotional support in here!" Chris hollered. It was easy to detect the wide smile in his voice. "This fire is _still_ giving us a hard time!"

"Alright, hang in there! I'm coming!" Ashley called. She stood up from the bed and turned to look at me again. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

"You _really_ have to stop trying to coddle me." I grumbled with a slight roll of my eyes. "Of course I'll be okay. I'm just going to take a nap. What could possibly go wrong with that?"

Ashley nodded a little and straightened her lips. "Well ... just to be on the safe side..." She said slowly. "I'm going to need your lighter."

I shot her another scathing look, but didn't bother to object. The only time I was allowed to obtain my lighter was if another person was in my presence. So, I reached into my pocket, brought out the Zippo, and handed it over to Ashley. While I was at it, I decided to pull out my carton of cigarettes and place it down beside the lamp on the bedside table.

"Thank you." Ashley said, keeping her eyes on me as she pocketed my lighter. "You know I only do these things because I care about you."

I gave a small nod. "Yes, we've already established that."

A small, delicate grin appeared on the redhead's face. She used her fingertips to gently push aside a section of my bangs, right before she leaned in and planted a family kiss against my forehead. When she backed off, I forced myself to return the smile and immediately started to rearrange my hair so it fell the way that it did previously.

"I'll see you after you wake up." Ashley walked over to the door to leave, looking back at me one final time. "Sweet dreams, Luke."

I dismissed her with a simple wave, at which she abandoned the guest room and pulled the squeaky door shut behind her. As soon as she left, the tiny grin on my face was replaced by a rare frown. With a sigh, I removed my jack-o-lantern beanie from my head and tossed it down on the bed. Then, as I withdrew a stray cigarette from my pocket and placed it between my lips, I glanced over at the picture that I had turned over of the Washington kids. Almost instantly, I felt my throat grow sore and tears started to form once again.

" _Come on, Lucas. Just ... forget about it._ _.._ " I positioned my grey buds in my ears and selected the song **What If I Died Tomorrow** by the band _About Last Night._ Then, as I laid back so my head could be resting in the sea of pillows, I closed my eyes tight. " _It's time to move on from what happened. If you're not willing to do it for yourself, then do it for Josh ... and Russell ... and, of course, Ashley._ " A single tear managed to leak out from my right eye and drip down the side of my head. " _Don't let their disappearance - **her disappearance** \- get to you. It wasn't meant to be. Just ... get some rest._"

* * *

 **Mike's POV**

 _ **WASHINGTON LODGE GROUNDS**_

 _ **22:43**_

I couldn't help but shiver from the freezing temperature as I held the door open for my girlfriend. "Exiled." I declared with a sigh.

Jess turned, her boots clicking against the wooden floorboards as she flashed me a flirtatious grin. "Sex-iled." She corrected, right before she spun back around and approached the edge of the veranda.

I secured the door shut, satisfied by that mental picture as I walked up behind her. "Works for me." I snickered.

"Brr..." Jess huffed, trembling a little against the railing. She looked off towards the long, snowy trail that we were going to take through the woods. "How far is this 'cabin' anyway?"

"This cabin..." I began romantically, causing my beige-blonde babe to turn and face me again. "...is the coziest, most romantic love den you will _ever_ lay your eyes upon."

Jess breathed a small, cute laugh. "Psh ... if we ever make it."

"Oh, I have a feeling luck's on our side." I remarked with a few confident nods.

Jessica's green eyes lit up with a sexy glow. "Play your cards right and maybe _you_ will get lucky." She said as she took a hold of my hand, traced her thumb across my knuckles, and began pulling me away from the edge.

The two of us started to head over towards the stairs, but we immediately froze in our tracks at the sound of the door flying open.

"Hey, porn stars!" Josh called out with a large smile from where he was now standing in the wide-open doorway. "You're gonna need these."

He reached into his pocket, and for a second, I thought he was about to toss some condoms. Though, I was proven wrong when he really pulled out a set of keys. As he tossed them over, I conveniently patted my pocket and silently congratulated myself for remembering to bring the required protection.

"Porn star?" Jess questioned as she caught the keys.

"I'd pay to see it." I joked with a smirk.

Jessica crinkled her nose at me. "Uh, gross?"

Josh stepped out onto the porch, flicking his attention between the two of us. "Hey, I'm sorry to kick you out like that-" He began.

"No worries, man." I interjected, despite how I truly hated being forced back out into the icy weather so fast.

Josh chuckled. "Oh, I'm sure you'll find a way to entertain yourselves."

"Mmm-hmm..." Jess purred. She smiled at me seductively, right before she glanced over at Josh and dismissed him with a wave. "You have fun with the peanut gallery."

The eldest Washington started retreating to the door, positioning his hand like a gun as he pointed it at his head. He made a motion that was supposed to represent him pulling the trigger, followed by another motion that was of his brain splattering everywhere. Then, just as he was about to step back inside, he stopped to look back at me and my girlfriend again.

"Oh! Almost forget." He raised his arm and pointed towards an opening in the trees. "Gotta fire up the generator so you can see where you're going. It's dark out there."

"Alright." I said, rattling the flashlight slightly at my side to prevent the beam from going out. "Roger that."

Josh went back into the lodge, closing the door (which was noisy as hell) behind him.

"I think Josh was flirting with me." Jess said proudly.

I furrowed my brow, wondering why she assumed something like that. After all, Josh was Chelsea's boyfriend and if there was one thing that Josh _never_ did when he was involved in a relationship, it was cheat. "Mmkay." I decided to pull a joke to hide my confusion. "You want to invite him up with us?"

Excitement burst through Jessica's eyes almost instantly. "Wait, really?" She asked, looking back at the door like she was _really_ expecting me to go inside and get Josh.

"What?!" Slight disappointment shot through my voice and I smacked my arms down against my sides. "No!"

Jessica's lips molded into a cunning smile, making me realize that she had punked me right back. Though, instead of teasing me about it, she remained silent and began to stride down the staircase, rubbing her hands together the whole way down. I started to follow her, but before I could manage to step down the first stair, I heard the sound of the door quickly opening again. With no hesitation, I stopped and spun around on my heels, pointing the flashlight over in the direction of the noise to see who was there. Once again, it was Josh; but this time, there was no smile on his face. He looked very concerned about something.

" _Oh, God, I hope he didn't hear me joke about having a threesome._ " I inwardly groaned.

"Hey, Mike, there's something else I almost forget to tell you." Josh informed as he stepped back out onto the veranda and approached me.

"Really? What is it?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow in suspicion. "Is everything okay?"

Josh faintly nodded, right before he started looking around in every direction possible. "Yeah, everything's fine. It's just..." He narrowed his eyes in confusion and focused on me again. "Ethan hasn't arrived yet and I'm starting to think that he got lost in the woods on his way up here or something. Can you and Jess maybe look around for him on your way to the guest cabin?"

I swear, Ethan Miller was like a lost puppy. Ever since we were kids, he would follow me around more than my own shadow and ask if he could participate in whatever it was that I was doing. My parents were his constant babysitters, so guess who he spent a majority of his time with? Me ... and guess how he met everyone else in the gang? Through _me._ My mom tried telling me multiple times that Ethan looked up to me and wanted to use me as a role model, but if that's _really_ the case, then he and his wacky "flower child" personality has failed miserably. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against Ethan; but at the same time, I'm definitely not for him.

Jessica, on the other hand, hated Ethan with a fiery passion. She often referred to him as a nutcase and claimed that he should've belonged to a zoo or a circus act. Though, for some weird reason, Ethan never took offense to anything that came out of Jess's mouth. I think he imagined her as an older sister, probably because he lost his own sister to suicide when he was nine. He walked in on her lifeless body hanging from her ceiling fan and now, he acted like she never existed. I could already tell that Jess wasn't going to be pleased with Josh's request, but I knew that I couldn't turn it down. As strange as Ethan was, he was still a human ... I think.

"Uh ... yeah, sure." I confirmed, nodding my head slightly. "No problem, man. Jess and I will keep an eye out for him."

Josh let out a sigh of gratitude. "Alright, thanks, Mike." He grinned and backed up towards the door again, sending me a departing wave before he disappeared back into the lodge.

I exhaled heavily, causing a misty cloud to form in the air from my breath. "Well..." I muttered to myself. "I guess I'm going to have to tell Jess about this."

I turned and started walking down the creaky staircase, aiming the flashlight at every stair to prevent myself from tripping on any of the ice or slush. When I reached the bottom, I started pointing the beam of light in every possible direction in the hopes of spotting Ethan coming up one of the trails or pushing himself through a couple of the trees. Josh had a point about him being the type of person who would get lost. Ethan sucked at following directions, and much to my dismay, I didn't see him anywhere.

With an inaudible sigh, I started walking towards my girlfriend, mentally preparing myself. She was waiting for me by the low fence that surrounded the lodge, looking out at the incredible view. At the sound of my boots crunching through the snow, Jess twirled around and pulled her phone out from her pocket.

"Hey, hot lips." She held the device out to me with a smile. "Photobooth?"

"Alright!" I grinned back, thinking that this would help cushion the blow of having to search for Ethan. "Read my mind."

I positioned myself close to her side and took the phone from her. Then, as she relaxed herself against my chest, I wrapped my other arm around her waist and held her phone out at a certain angle. I wanted to make sure that both of us were in the frame. Eventually, I tapped the correct button and an audible _click_ rang through the air. I immediately retracted the phone and turned it so Jess and I could see the selfie. She had an elegant smile on her face and a sexy glint in her eyes. I, on the other hand, had decided to fool around and open my mouth to create a wide, goofy grin.

Jessica giggled in delight. "Oh. My god." She took the phone back from me. "This is _perfect._ We're, like, the cutest couple!"

"Damn." I swooned, smirking at the photo. "You should be a model."

My beige-blonde babe ran her fingers down my arm. "You keep that camera handy and maybe I'll let you start my portfolio ... at the cabin." She winked after her final word, swaying her body in a flirtatious manner.

I felt my cheeks grow a little hot, which wasn't easy since it was so damn cold out here. "Wink! Noted." I said.

With a toothy grin, Jess started walking down the declined path that curved to the right and entered the woods. I was in immediate pursuit, shining the flashlight against the ground to prevent stumbling over any rocks or stray branches. As we walked, I lightly nibbled on my bottom lip and tried to figure out how exactly I was going to break the news about Ethan to Jessica.

"Brrr! It is _freezing_ out here...!" Jess huffed as she ran her hands up and down her arms.

"Now, that's something I can help you with." I flirted.

My girlfriend's voice turned naughty. "And how're you gonna do that?"

I pointed the flashlight in the direction of a bush rustling, only to realize that it was just a squirrel gathering some acorns. "I got a few things in mind." I assured.

I blinked repeatedly, trying to clear my vision from the few snowflakes that smacked me directly in the eyes. Then, as Jess and I kept walking down the trail, something from the corner of my eye snagged a hold of my attention. Almost instantly, I stopped dead in my tracks and cast my beam of light against a huge tree, where an old sign that read **Private Property: Washington Estate** was hanging lopsidedly.

"Not a lot of TLC for this place anymore." I noted with a sigh. "Kind of a bummer."

Jessica didn't seem to hear me. She was further ahead, causing me to pick up the pace to avoid getting separated. We continued down the path, but just as we were about to approach a small gate, my girlfriend paused and spun around with sudden fire in her eyes.

"Emily's as dumb as she looks if she thinks she can cut in on what we got going on." She spat. "Maybe if we're lucky, she'll try to follow us out here and get eaten by a bear."

I hesitated, trying to figure out how to respond. After all, it was already going to be difficult to break the news about Ethan and the last thing I wanted to deal with right now was Jess getting all riled up about something else. Plus, she and Emily used to be friends...

* * *

 _ **X Agree (Emily was being a bitch.)/Disagree (Ease up on Em, okay?) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Disagree**_

* * *

I poked my cheek with my tongue and shook my head. "Ahh ... yeah ... she's a handful..." I said carefully. "But ... maybe ease up on her. She's still kinda torn up from bein' dumped."

I would never admit it, but it _was_ pretty dumb of me to end my relationship with Emily over a Facebook message of all things.

Jessica's eyes grew sharper and the venom in her voice enhanced. "Um, hello?" She growled. " _Not_ my problem, Mike. And not yours either."

I internally winced, wanting nothing more than to defuse this whole Emily situation.

* * *

 _ **X Agree (Yeah, screw Emily.)/Defend (Leave Emily alone.) X**_

 ** _Choice Chosen: Defend_**

* * *

"No, I mean, of course not. I'm just sayin' it's..." I paused, trying to find the best way to word this to avoid stirring up anymore tension. "It's not worth kicking her when she's down. 'Cause ... I'd much rather spend my time _gettin' down_ with you." I chuckled a little awkwardly, not wanting to make it seem like I still had feelings for Em. "You see what I did there? I did that ... for you..."

For just a split second, Jess looked the tiniest bit amused. "Yeah. Okay." She caved, dropping her shoulders as she faintly nodded. "But she better _stay down,_ is all I'm saying."

I straightened my lips, not knowing what else I could possibly say. Then, as the eerie sound of the wind blowing through the trees filled the air, a cheeky smile broke out across my girlfriend's porcelain-white face.

"So, what the heck was all that muscle flexing back there with you and Lucas?" She asked, sounding just as entertained as she looked.

At the mention of Ashley's cousin, I rolled my pale brown eyes and let out a low groan.

* * *

 _ **X Aggressive (Luke's a dick!)/Evasive (Just showing off.) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Aggressive**_

* * *

"What a dick, right?" I sneered, recalling each of Luke's threats. "Dude has no business coming at me like that. If he's got any brain in that huge, dumb, emo melon, he better find it and use it or he's gonna get wrecked."

Jessica looked intrigued, blushing slightly. "Wow. Talking like that about Ashley's beloved cousin?" She swooned. "Nasty Mikey."

"Just ... riled up." I explained as calmly as possible.

"Me likey." Jess purred.

My lips transformed into an insulting grin. "Seriously though," I said, snickering, "what in the hell was he thinking when he decided to transform himself into a living tombstone? He looks like a washed-out, rejected member of _Kiss._ If you ask me, he's just desperate for attention and is willing to do whatever it takes to get it, even if that means calling me out on bullshit that I didn't do. What a pathetic lunatic."

My beige-blonde babe laughed, nodding her head in agreement. "Speaking of pathetic lunatics," she said, "where do you think Ethan the Nutcase is? I didn't see him in the living room with everyone else."

With no hesitation, my smile crumbled away and I rubbed the back of my neck. "Uhh ... about that..." I dragged out, knowing that it was now or never. "Josh came back out after you walked down from the porch and sort of asked if we would look around for Ethan on our way to the guest cabin."

Anger electrocuted through Jess's light green eyes again. "What?!" She squawked. "No way! Forget it! There's _no way in hell_ we're going to waste our valuable time in searching for some nature freak!"

"Come on, Jess. He isn't _that_ bad." I spoke gently, wanting to prevent my girlfriend from growing any angrier. "Besides, you know that we can't risk leaving him stranded somewhere out here in the freezing cold by himself."

Jess rested her hands firmly on her hips. "Mike, that kid is weird as shit! He has been a thorn in my ass for God knows how many years!" She snipped.

"Don't you mean side?" I inquired, knitting my eyebrows together in confusion. "A thorn in your _side?_ "

"Whatever!" Jess groaned in exasperation and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Can't he just ... follow the moonlight or cleanse the trees or something? Maybe ask Mother Nature to send him some of those 'healthy' vibes so he can figure out the way to the lodge on his own?"

I sighed, staring directly at my girlfriend through the falling snow. "He's only fifteen, Jess. It can get pretty dangerous out here, especially in the dark. All we have to do is search around on our way to the guest cabin, and if we bump into him on the way there, we can simply point him in the correct direction back to the lodge." I informed. "Either way, he isn't going to interfere with our plans ... and I already told Josh that we would do it."

Jessica hesitated, the look on her face giving it away that she wasn't pleased to hear that I'd already agreed to search for Ethan. Nonetheless, instead of throwing more complaints in my face, she let out a heavy breath and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Alright, _fine._ " She grumbled. "But if we're _really_ going to search for the rugrat, we better hurry. I've got cabin fever."

"Jess?" Her name left my mouth before I caught myself even thinking about saying it. Another thought had entered my mind, and I couldn't help myself.

My beige-blonde stopped and turned to face me again. "What?" She asked.

I definitely wasn't okay with what she said to Russell during her big blowout with Emily. I wanted her to know that he's been through _a lot_ this past year, and that he _wasn't_ crazy. She claimed that he belonged to a ward, even though it was just therapy, and made it seem like he liked swallowing antidepressants for the hell of it. I really did love Jess, but there were times in which I wished that she would keep her mouth zipped. Russell was a genuinely good friend and I wanted to defend him, especially since I helped lure him into the prank last year. Unfortunately, at the same time, I didn't want to risk pissing Jessica off. What was I supposed to say?

* * *

 _ **X Mention Russell (What you said in there...)/Forget It (Nevermind...) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Mention Russell**_

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Jessica's Relationship Status: Mike -1 (7/10)**

 **Mike's Character Traits: Charitable +1 (6/10)**

* * *

I mentally prepared myself, knowing that Jess needed to hear this. "Uh ... what you said to Russ in there..." I spoke slowly and carefully. "Don't you think ... you know, that was a bit cruel?"

Jess breathed a snort, as if I had just told a joke. "You're kidding, right?" She asked, continuing to lightly chuckle. "All I did was state the obvious, Mike. Like the saying says, the truth hurts sometimes. It's not my fault that he's crazy."

"It's not that he's crazy - he's _not_ crazy." I quickly defended. "He's just ... going through a lot right now. After all, he and Scott were best friends."

Jessica stared at me like I had just attempted walking through a wall. "So?" She shrugged. "Scott was a close friend of ours, but you don't see either of us checking in to a ward or scarfing down pills."

I cocked my head at her. "He goes to therapy, not a ward, Jess. They're two entirely different things." I pointed out, maintaining my gentle tone. "And the pills he takes are prescribed to help him with his insomnia. Just because someone has depression doesn't make them insane."

My beige-blonde babe pursed her lips, starting to look bored. "Okay, Mike. You can stop now. I get it." She said. "But he better keep his depressed nose out of our business this weekend. Same goes for Sam. She's been turning into quite a bitch lately, and my woman's intuition tells me that it's all Russell's fault."

An inaudible sigh escaped from my mouth. "Well, how about we keep moving?" I offered, exposing one of my sexy grins to help lighten the mood. "The faster we get to the guest cabin, the faster we'll be able to do some exercise the fun way."

As soon as I said that, a new smile spread widely across Jessica's face. "I hope that means you already lumbered up, Romeo." She cooed, beginning to pursue down the trail. "You're in for a wild ride. I'm _very_ flexible."

I snickered in satisfaction and followed her up to the gate. However, when I pressed the required button to unfasten the latch, the light below it shined bright red.

"Huh." I retracted my finger from the button, arching an eyebrow. "Guess this thing needs juice or something."

"Didn't Josh say there was a generator?" Jess reminded as she rubbed her hands together as fiercely as possible.

The first thought that came to my mind was, " _Oh, right!_ " And sure enough, when I turned my head to look down the right of the path, an old shack sat at the dead end. Jess stayed where she was, waiting close to the gate while I began to approach the small shack. While walking, I zig-zagged the flashlight's beam across the ground, still wanting to be cautious of any objects that were lying around. Then, just as I was about to enter the shack, I paused in my tracks when the light fell on something that was definitely out of the ordinary. On the ground, lying directly in front of a messy pile of leftover planks, was this weird looking piece of wood. It had what looked like flowers and other strange symbols designed on it.

" _Wow ... talk about creepy._ " I thought to myself as I knelt down in the snow and squinted at the object. " _This thing looks like something straight out of a horror movie._ "

I reached my hand out and grabbed the mysterious item, lifting it up so I could examine it more closely. Until now, I had failed to notice the faint shade of blood-red paint that was covering some of the details.

* * *

 _ **Totem Found: Danger Totem**_

 _ **Information: Depicts an image of Ashley being punched in the face by a threatening, unknown stranger in a clown mask. A startled, male gasp can be heard in the background.**_

* * *

I felt an uneasy tingle run down my spine. What in the hell was this thing doing out here? Whatever it was, it made me feel very unsettled. It wasn't like the mental picture of somebody taking the time to place it specifically there in front of the shack helped at all either.

"Miiike~" Jessica sang, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Wouldn't it be nice to fire up the Genny and get movin'?"

"What's a 'genny'?" I called back to her, hoping that the joke would help me shake off the uncomfortable feeling I got from the object.

I quickly placed it back down on the ground and rose up again. Then, I walked through the wide-open door of the teeny shack. I nearly coughed from the amount of dust that was floating through the small space and cast my light around, only to be greeted by a bunch of worn out shelves that had paint cans and gardening supplies on them.

"Mike! Generator!" Jess snapped when I remained in the doorway, just looking around. She cuffed her hands around her mouth and blew into them, right before she went back to rubbing her arms. "I wish you could 'generate' a little 'excitement' about getting that _freaking generator to work!_ "

I peeked over my shoulder, shooting a teasing grin in her direction. "Okay, I'll just yell at it like you're yelling at me, let's see if that works."

My beige-blonde babe playfully rolled her eyes and scoffed, but said nothing back.

I finally stepped inside the tiny shack and opened the generator's compartment. "Allllright. Let's see." I murmured, right before I flipped one of the switches. A proud grin swept across my face when the red light turned yellow, indicating that I was a step closer to getting the gate open. "Boom! Nice one, Mikey." I congratulated myself as I then leaned over, grabbed the red lever, and pulled it. The engine grumbled, right before I pulled the lever again and caused it to roar.

"Ehh!" I cringed slightly from the loud noise.

Luckily, the lights all around outside had turned on.

"Woo!" Jess cheered, tossing her arms up into the air like a cheerleader. "You are a wizard!"

Satisfied in myself, I made a move to leave the shack; but then, I found myself jerking to a halt when I could've sworn that I spotted three shadows against the rundown floorboards. One of them was definitely mine, but the other two sure as hell weren't. The hairs on the back of my neck shot up and I immediately turned around, feeling like there were two pairs of eyes watching me through the window. Though, when I looked, there wasn't anybody standing on the opposite side of the glass.

"Hmm ... I must be imagining things." I muttered under my breath.

I spun back around and left the tiny shack, paying no attention to the creepy artifact that was still lying in the snow. Then, after making it back over to where Jess was, I pushed the required button again. This time, the red light beneath it flickered over to green and a mild _buzz_ rang through the air, announcing that the gate was now unlocked.

"Kazam," I said as I lifted the latch, "the gates shall open."

I pushed the gate open, filling my eardrums with an eerie _creak._ Jessica immediately skipped through, wearing an ecstatic grin as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and began fiddling around with her playlist. A soft, girly song lingered through the freezing breeze as I followed, securing the gate shut behind me.

"Pretty good, right?" Jess asked, referring to the music.

"Yeah, totally! This is..." I couldn't resist staring at my girlfriend's sexy ass, watching it sway with every step she took. "...awesome."

"Awwww yeah..." Jess drawled, turning to face me as she snapped her fingers. "I bring the hits."

After that, she spun back around on her heels and continued to scroll through her phone. She walked to the end of the icy bridge and stopped, waiting for me. As I walked to catch up with her, I ended up stopping in the direct center of the bridge to point the flashlight around. Even though the bridge was constructed over a river, I thought that this would be a good moment to glance around for Ethan. Unfortunately, he was nowhere in sight.

"You psyched yet?" Jess asked after I finished walking across the bridge. "You don't look psyched yet!"

The two of us started up a series of stairs that were embedded in the slope.

"I am _so_ psyched right now!" I remarked, which was partially true. I still felt weird about that item I found, as well as Ethan's absence and my previous assumption of being watched by two unseen figures. But for the most part, I was really glad to have some alone time with Jess and I was really looking forward to sleeping with her.

"It's like a little adventure..." Jessica noted. "...a _sexcapade._ "

"Fuh!" I breathed a small chuckle and shined the flashlight around, helping to illuminate our path. Along the way, I pointed the beam in the direction of a variety of trees and rocks; but no matter where I looked, I couldn't spot Ethan anywhere.

Suddenly, my girlfriend stopped in her tracks when something caught her attention. I immediately stopped beside her and followed her gaze. Around one of the trees, there was bright yellow tape that read **Do Not Cross** in large, faded letters. At the sight of it, I felt my chest swell and my lips molded into a small frown.

"Police tape..." Jess said with a hint of sorrow in her eyes.

I softly nodded in regret. "From Hannah, Beth, and Scott."

"You'd think they'd clean it up..."

I gave a vague shrug. "Well, they never closed the investigation."

My beige-blonde babe started to look uneasy. "Okay, I'm gettin' the creeps now."

Every single moment of that night was like a slideshow to me. I remembered every last detail and a piece of me wanted to know what Jess remembered from it ... but the last thing I wanted to do was pressure her into talking about last year. We missed the triplets just as much as the rest of the gang did and I knew that she wouldn't enjoy talking about the prank. Especially now, in the darkness of the woods. Still ... I _was_ curious about it...

* * *

 _ **X Respectful (I hope they're at peace.)/Ask (What do you remember?) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Respectful**_

* * *

" _Now's not the time to ask questions like that._ " I told myself in my mind. " _Maybe later._ "

"Well, wherever they are..." I then spoke, recalling some of the information that I'd learned in Sunday school as a kid. "I'm sure they're happy we're all thinking about them."

Jess straightened her lips and raised her shoulders slightly. "That's a nice way of thinking about it." She said.

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Jessica's Relationship Status: Mike +1 (8/10)**

* * *

The two of us continued on our way, pushing the police tape to the back of our minds as we headed up two more sets of stairs that were implanted in the ground. I squinted through the falling snow, still pointing the flashlight all around. Suddenly, just as Jess and I were about to pass by an opening in the trees that provided a view of the overhang ... a piercing scream erupted through the air. In less than a second, we jerked to a stop and started looking around in every possible direction.

"Ummm..." Jessica's eyes were as wide as saucers and she looked as pale as a sheet. "Did you hear that?"

"I heard ... something. Yeah." I cautiously approached the railing that was built at the edge of the overhang and, after a brief moment of hesitation, cuffed my hands around my mouth. "Ethan! ... Hey, Ethan! Is that you?" I called out, only to be given no response in return. "Ethan, if that's you trying to scare us, it's not funny! Knock it off and show yourself, dude!" Once again, nobody responded and Ethan didn't come out from any possible hiding spot. That could only mean one thing: whoever or _whatever_ shrieked wasn't him.

"That's ... _really_ freaky." Jess commented.

"Yeah, but ... I wouldn't put much thought into it. It was probably just an animal." I assured, shining the flashlight at her in the hopes of providing her some comfort. "Come on, let's keep going. The guest cabin shouldn't be much further."

Jess nodded in agreement and the two of us ascended up yet another small staircase that was embedded in the snow. Unfortunately, when we reached the top, it immediately came to my attention that our trail was blocked by a large tree and the only other place provided for us to go was this spooky looking cave.

"Ah ... damn." I mumbled, rolling my eyes at the fallen tree. "I don't think we can get up to the cabin with the path blocked like this-"

My girlfriend scoffed, already starting to walk towards the entrance of the cave. "Oh, no way am I going back to the lodge a.k.a. wax museum to drink hot chocolate with Emily and Chelsea." She slammed one of her boots down in a pile of slush and raised a finger like she was getting ready to make a speech. "You know what? Screw it. We're adventurous. We will find another way around." After that, she spun back around on her heels and walked into the cave with me in pursuit.

Then, when Jess made it to the edge of the rocky ground, she carefully leaned herself against a barrier to look down. However, the barrier turned out to be _very_ old. As soon as Jessica touched it, it broke clear in half and sent her stumbling forward.

"WHUAAOHH - AHHH!" Jess wailed in shock as she fell all the way down to the stone surface below.

"JESS!" I yelled, hurrying over to the edge to look down at her. "Shit! Hey, Jessica!"

My beige-blonde babe huffed and picked herself up from the ground. "Yep! Hey! I'm _okay!_ " She assured.

I watched her dust herself off and breathed a sigh of relief. "Holy crap, you scared the heck out of me."

"How do you think I felt?!" Jessica asked as she looked up at me with amusement twinkling in her eyes.

"Er..." I squinted, trying to get my vision to adjust to the dark faster. "You didn't hit your head or anything?"

Jess held her arms out at her sides. "As far as I can tell, I still have all seven of my limbs!"

I let out a single chuckle. "Uh, yeah. Can you get out?"

"Uhhh..." My girlfriend approached the high wall and looked up almost helplessly. "I don't know. I can hardly see anything down here...!"

What Chelsea had said to me earlier came back to my mind. She said two things: don't get eaten by any bears, and don't go wandering into any mysterious caves. Of course, I knew that she was only being sarcastic. Who knew that it would turn out to be _actual_ advice? I didn't want to risk walking into any possible danger, but I also didn't want to leave Jessica down there to fend for herself. I had to make a decision on what to do.

* * *

 ** _X Cautious (Push the cart!)/Heroic (I'll jump down!) X_**

 _ **Choice Chosen: Heroic**_

* * *

 _ **..BUTTERFLY EFFECT UPDATE..** _

_**(Be Her Hero.) -**_ **Mike came to Jessica's aid immediately; Jessica appreciated Mike's heroism...**

* * *

Suddenly, I got this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was almost like I was being watched ... and I instantly remembered the two extra shadows that I thought I'd seen back in the shack. However, when I took a quick glance behind me from over my shoulder, I didn't see anybody there. These woods must've been playing tricks on me. After all, aside from the gang, there was nobody else on this entire mountain.

" _There's no way in hell I'm leaving her down there all by herself._ " I thought to myself as I glanced back down at my beige-blonde babe.

"Alright, comin' after ya, just stay put!" I instructed.

I knelt down and placed my hand against the cold ground, bending my knees to prevent a rough landing. That weird feeling in my gut grew stronger and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, as if somebody had appeared out of nowhere behind me. Nonetheless, I refused to let my paranoia get the best of me and jumped off the ledge without looking back. I fell through the air and landed perfectly on my feet with an, "Umpfh!"

I immediately started pointing the flashlight around, seeing nothing but large rocks, rundown barriers, and a single mine cart that was blocking the only available path. That's when the realization struck me: this wasn't just a cave, it was an abandoned mine shaft.

"Hey, handsome, wanna help me move this cart thing?" Jess asked as she started to walk towards the old cart.

I accepted her request, choosing to ignore how our footsteps echoed so easily in this place. After approaching the cart, I placed both of my hands against it and started pushing with all of my might. Grunts escaped from my mouth and my shoes practically scraped against the ground as the cart refused to budge. The damn thing was much heavier than it looked, practically forcing beads of sweat to pop up across my forehead. No matter how hard I pushed, it wouldn't roll away.

I drew in a deep breath and kept pushing, but the results were still the same. "Alright." I huffed, gazing over at my girlfriend. "Help me move it, help me move it."

"Okay." Jess was at my side and helping me push in less than a second.

We grunted loudly, combining our strength. Within a couple of more moments, the cart _finally_ started to move, filling the large cave with the loud sound of the wheels squeaking against the track. Jess and I kept pushing, and after we managed to unblock the path, we stopped to recharge our lungs.

Jess looked at her hands and crinkled her nose in disgust when she noticed the rust that was now covering them. With no hesitation, she started wiping her hands on her jeans. Then, after all of the rust was gone, she shook her arms to help reduce any strain that had built up in her muscles from pushing the cart.

"When I imagined us grunting together..." I continued to catch my breath, "...this is not what I pictured."

Jessica laughed, giving my arm a quick stroke.

After that, the two of us started pursuing down the path. I continued to cast the light around, feeling goosebumps race across my skin from how drafty the shaft was. A series of more carts were cluttered to the left of the track, as if they had been involved in some sort of crashing incident. Aside from those, there we many broken boards, multiple piles of stones, and...

A loud noise broke the uneasy silence, yanking me out of my thoughts. Out of nowhere, another mine cart came speeding down the track, startling me and Jess.

"Ahh!" Jessica yelped.

"Ah!" I didn't have enough time to move out of the way, so I placed my hand firmly against the cart in an attempt to stop it. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" I grunted, feeling a small amount of pain shoot through my wrist and up my arm from how hard I was pushing. Luckily, I managed to stop the cart before it had the chance to run me over.

"Holy crap!" Jess exclaimed, watching as I quickly moved to the opposite side of the cart. "Oh my gosh, are you okay?"

"Ah..." I grimaced, clenching my teeth for a moment. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

My girlfriend and I then glanced at the cart with confusion fluttering in our eyes.

"How in the hell did that thing come down the track like that all by itself?" Jessica questioned as she took a step closer to the mine cart. "Doesn't it usually take ... I don't know, levers and whatnot?"

I stepped over to her side. There just _had_ to be a rational explanation as to why this cart came rolling down the track.

"I'm ... not sure." I answered truthfully. "Maybe it was just-"

"Wait a sec..." Jess cut me off and leaned over slightly, squinting into the dim cart. "There's something in this thing."

"What?" Suspicion dripped from my voice, but immediately switched over to caution when my girlfriend slowly reach her arm into the cart. "Hey, Jess, I don't think that you should-"

Before I could finish, Jess hooked her fingers around the item and lifted it up out of the cart. At the sight of it, my pale brown eyes widened a little and I caught some air in my throat. The item was another one of those ominous statues, perfectly resembling the one that I had found back at the generator shack. It had the same exact symbols designed on it, but instead of being tinted with red paint, this one was decorated with chipped black paint.

"Well, this isn't spooky at all." Jessica said in a mixture of sarcasm and uneasiness.

"Weird..." I murmured, not wanting to scare her more. "Yeah. Definitely weird."

* * *

 _ **Totem Found: Death Totem**_

 _ **Information: Shows a scene in which Ethan has two large mutated hands wrapped around his throat, strangling him. His eyes are huge and he's struggling to breathe as blood starts to gush out of his mouth. A loud, abnormal screech can be heard in the background.**_

* * *

Suddenly, a huge cockroach appeared at the top of the artifact. It had crawled up from the opposite side, causing Jessica's eyes to look like they were seconds away from popping out of her skull. With no hesitation, she screamed and threw the statue back into the cart. A loud _clank_ echoed through the cave, along with her terrified shriek, and my beige-blonde babe shuddered in disgust.

"Ugh! Gross!" Jess wailed, sounding almost like a five-year-old. "Damn cockroaches! Ewww ... oh my God, that was _so_ disgusting!"

"Whoa, Jess! Calm down." The last thing I wanted was to risk a cave in, especially over a bug. "It's not gonna hurt you. You're fine."

Jessica shuddered again, slowly regaining her color. "Let's just hurry up and find the way out of here. I _hate_ bugs."

With an understanding nod, I started leading the way down the path again. However, within a few seconds, there was an intersection that led in opposite directions. The sound of my girlfriend's footsteps came to a halt behind me as I aimed the flashlight down both paths. They both looked very similar, but the right path was where the tracks led down. I cocked an eyebrow, taking a moment to ponder the provided options before I decided to start walking down the right path. Jessica followed shortly behind, her boots splashing through a couple of puddles.

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Mike's Character Traits: Curious +1 (5/10)**

* * *

"Whoa nellie, this place is givin' me the willies. And not the good kind of willies." Jess commented with a light giggle.

A slight smirk formed on my face. "Can I offer you a little comfort and reassurance?"

The flirtatiousness increased in her voice. "Save it for the cabin, buster."

Just then, we ended up coming face-to-face with a dead end that was cluttered with large tin containers and more busted up boards. There were no clues whatsoever as to how the mine cart had been set down the track. I emitted a low groan and rolled my eyes, annoyed at the fact that taking the right path was nothing but a total waste of time. However, just as I was about to turn back around, I felt Jessica's hand grab my shoulder.

"Mike." She pointed to something on the ground, alarmed. "Look. Look, look!"

I obeyed ... and as soon as my eyes landed on what she was pointing at, I could've sworn that I felt my heart literally punch me in the chest. It was yet _another_ one of those strange artifacts.

"What the shit...?" I muttered as I knelt down on one knee to get a closer look. Unlike the two previous statues, this one was shaped like an owl and almost all of its details were colored in with faded white paint.

"Who in the hell would even take the time to _make_ these ugly things?" Jess questioned. "I swear, whoever they are ... they _really_ need to find a new hobby."

"You could say that again." I agreed, right before I forced myself to pick the artifact up and turn it over. The exact same marking of - was that supposed to be a butterfly? - was designed on the back.

* * *

 _ **Totem Found: Fortune Totem**_

 _ **Information: Depicts a scene of Jessica sitting up in an elevator shaft, wearing only her underwear with a variety of bloody injuries covering her whole body.**_

* * *

A noise pulled me out of my concentration. It sounded like someone - or something - running across the stone ground in the distance. I immediately sat the small statue back down and rose back up onto my feet, turning with my eyebrows knitted together in confusion. I knew for a fact that there _was_ a noise, but aside from Jess, I didn't see anybody. What in the hell was going on with this mountain tonight?

"Uh ... Michael...?" Jess slowly glanced around with her hands folded over her heart, exposing her fear. "What was that?"

"I have no idea." I replied in a quiet, but still audible tone. I started walking back down the path, being cautious and waving the flashlight around with every step. "Ethan? Are you in here?" My words echoed slightly through the mine shaft, but once again, I didn't receive a response. "Dammit, man, where in the hell are you?"

"Do you really think it's possible that he's in here?" Jess asked, almost clinging to my unoccupied arm.

I continued to walk. "Well, I did a couple of seconds ago ... but I doubt it now."

"Ethan!" My beige-blonde babe called out, suddenly sounding annoyed. "If you're in here, you better come out right now or else we're just going to leave you to find the lodge by yourself! The joke's over!"

The silence was the only thing that replied to her. Ethan might've been obsessed with peace zones, yoga poses, and all of that weird zen stuff, but he would _never_ remain silent in a situation like this. Knowing him, he wouldn't have hesitated to call back to me and Jess.

"Yeah, he's not in here." I confirmed with a sigh. "Come on, let's keep moving. He has to be _somewhere._ "

"As long as we get to the cabin, I'm happy." Jessica noted.

We finished retreating to the intersection and began heading down the left path. There were three sets of rickety stairs, in which we climbed while trying to avoid getting rained on by drops of water that were falling from a few stalactites.

When we reached the top, I pointed the flashlight around and realized that it was another (much wider) intersection. We could either go straight ahead or curve to the right. Of course, out of total curiosity, I decided to lead the way down the right path ... and that's when Jess and I saw something that we didn't expect. There was the skull of some sort of animal hanging on the wall, surrounded by a bunch of candles, dreamcatchers, and strangely painted symbols.

* * *

 ** _\+ CLUE FOUND - MYSTICAL SYMBOL +_**

 ** _Note: Strange symbols painted onto the wall of the mine. It's not clear what they mean, but the setup looks like it took more than one person._**

* * *

"Whoa." I droned, leaning in a little to get a better look. "This place is like ... historical."

"Holy bat cave." Jess grimaced at the skull. "If you ask me, this stuff is definitely up Ethan's alley."

I reached my free hand out and carefully ran a feather from one of the dreamcatchers through two of my fingers. "It's gotta be Negative American, right?" I asked as I turned back around to face my girlfriend.

She answered uneasily, "I don't think the miners were getting their Arts and Crafts on, no."

I pointed the flashlight over to one of the tin containers, only to notice something small sitting on top of it. It was a cigar butt - something that I was very familiar with since my dad enjoyed puffing cigars.

"Huh. Stogie." I said as I picked the stub up between my fingers and studied it.

* * *

 _ **\+ CLUE FOUND - CIGAR STUB +**_

 ** _Note: A stubbed out cigar butt. It looks like it was left recently. There must be someone else up on the mountain._**

* * *

"Weird place to hang out and smoke cigars." Jessica remarked.

"It's recent." I narrowed my eyes in thought and sat the cigar butt back down on top of the tin container. "Wonder who was up here."

Jess gave a tiny shrug, right before we started walking back down the path. However, just as I thought that this mine shaft couldn't possibly get any freakier, a plank of wood fell from above and landed directly in front of me and Jess. It caused the whole cave to shake, triggering screams from the both of us.

"Ho! Shit!" I huffed, feeling my heart racing a million miles in my chest. I turned to Jess and touched her arm. "You alright?"

"Yeah..." She drew in a steady breath, clearly freaked out. "Close one."

I glanced up at the rock structure above us and examined it with the flashlight. "I don't think this place is up to code." I muttered.

"Yeah, I'm thinking it's time to go." Jess said as she gestured for me to go first.

I started walking again, eager to get the hell out of this cave. Along the way, Jess and I past by a scaffold that made me stop dead in my tracks. There was a table with something lying on top of it that caught my attention. Unable to help myself, I approached it while Jess walked a little further ahead. The dirty floorboards lightly creaked beneath my feet with every step I took, and when I was close enough to see what the item on the table was, I froze. It was a large map that had the words **Blackwood Mines** printed in the lower right corner and **Areas At Risk: DANGER** towards the upper left corner. A variety of spots were also scribbled in with red ink, indicating _many_ hazardous places.

* * *

 _ **\+ CLUE FOUND - MINE DANGER MAP +**_

 _ **Note:** **A map showing structural faults in the mine, marked up by a mine engineer. It looks like the owners knew there was a risk of collapse.**_

* * *

"Jesus." I shuddered as an uncomfortable chill ran down my spine. "This place is a real fixer upper."

I quickly pursued after my girlfriend, who didn't show any signs of acknowledging my comment. We strode down another tunnel, stepping over more puddles and kicking some pebbles along the way. Everything was silent, excluding the sounds of water dripping down from more stalactites and the winter wind. Much to my relief, moonlight came into view by the time Jessica and I made it to the end of the tunnel. The snow was pouring down a little faster and the temperature felt like it dropped even more, but I didn't care. I was just glad that Jess and I had made it out of the mine shaft safely.

"Finally!" Jess uttered. "A little ray of hope!"

Our footsteps stopped echoing and went back to crunching in the snow as we stepped outside. I automatically started checking in every possible direction for Ethan, still using the flashlight to illuminate the trail. There were _still_ no sign of him, and I was beginning to wish that Josh would've been more specific on what to do if Jess and I _didn't_ find him.

"Damn." I cursed, squinting through the shadows and gusts of snow. "I _still_ don't see any sign of Ethan anywhere. I swear, he's a master at getting his ass lost."

My beige-blonde babe scoffed. "That nutcase wouldn't be able to find his way out of a paper bag." She then cuffed her hands around her mouth and yelled out, "Ethan!"

Her voice echoed for a moment through the air, startling a couple of crows. They cawed and flew away, but other than that, there was no response from Ethan.

Jess rolled her eyes and emitted a low groan, while I straightened my lips and continued to wave our light source around. We turned down a right curve in the path, where a cheap wooden sign that read **CABIN** was perched in front of three more sets of stairs that were embedded in the ground. As we ascended up them, I ignored the strain that was starting to build up in my legs from how much of an incline this way. Mine and Jessica's faces were redder than freshly bloomed roses by this point, and I was starting to have a difficult time feeling my cheeks due to the numbing breeze.

"Well well." Jess tsked as we made it to a fourth staircase. "When Josh said 'cabin', I thought like, Abe Lincoln."

I chuckled. "Wait'll you see the Lincoln Bedroom."

An intrigued smile formed on my girlfriend's face. "Oh, are you planning to get _presidential_ on me?" She asked, walking up the fifth and final staircase.

I stepped up the final stair and exhaled, filling the air with a misty cloud from my breath. "Wanna take a ride on Air Force One?" I then asked in a suggestive tone.

Jessica laughed. "Alright, alright. Save it for the stump speech, buddy." Shortly after she said that, she stopped walking beside an isolated picnic table and tilted her head at it like a confused puppy. "Huh? ... What's that?" She murmured.

"What's what?" I asked, at which she pointed a finger at something on the picnic table.

I arched an eyebrow and cast the flashlight's beam down on the wooden surface to see what Jess was talking about. Since the picnic table was positioned directly underneath a couple of trees, it was only covered with a light layer of frost ... and I could just barely make out what it was that caught my girlfriend's attention. Using my unoccupied hand, I gently brushed away some of the snow, revealing something that I remembered from years back. It was a faded carving in the shape of a heart, and inside of it read the initials _SW+AB._

Pity started to brew in Jessica's light green eyes. "I assume _SW_ is Scott Washington and _AB_ is Ashley Brown?"

"Yeah..." I sighed and shook my head, fighting the urge to frown. "I remember this carving. Scott did it three years ago, back when I went camping in these woods with him, Josh, Matt, and Russell."

"Hard to believe it's still here." Jess said regretfully. "It's such a shame that things ended the way that they did between the two of them. They were adorable together."

"They definitely loved each other, that's for sure." In an attempt to lighten the mood, I forced the memories to the back of my mind and shot Jessica one of my ruggedly handsome smiles. "Just like _I_ love _you_ _..._ and I'll definitely prove it to you over and over and _over_ again whence we get to the cabin."

My beige-blonde babe playfully shoved me in the arm and snorted, as if she hadn't been sad just seconds before. "Wow, Michael. Saying that you love me in the moonlight during a romantic blizzard? I never knew you were such a sap." She taunted with a grin.

* * *

 _ **X Deny (I'm not a sap.)/Confess (Okay, I'm a sap.) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Confess**_

* * *

"Hey." I stared directly into my girlfriend's beautiful eyes and spoke sexily. "I may look like a tough and rugged manly man on the exterior, but deep down? I'm in touch with my feelings. I'm not afraid to show a little affection now and again."

"Oh, yeah?" Jess flashed me a naughty smirk. "Is that a check I can cash?"

"Girl, it's guaranteed!" I confirmed.

My girlfriend giggled and winked at me, right before she turned away from the picnic table. "Oooh, a telescope!" She trotted over to the overhang like an excited kid in a candy shop and gazed through the built-in telescope. "Gonna look at the trees ... gonna look at the clouds ... gonna look at the cabi-..." Jess suddenly became as stiff as a statue, cutting herself off as she backed up slightly. "Uh ... whoa."

"Y'alright?" I asked as she took one more quick peek through the telescope before stepping aside.

She looked like she'd just seen a ghost. "I just saw someone at the cabin."

I furrowed my brow at her, contemplating what she just said. "Okayyy?" I said as I took a hold of the telescope and peered through it. "Let me see."

I moved the device around carefully, trying to spot this 'someone' that Jessica could've sworn she saw. However, instead of seeing a person, all I saw were trees, snowflakes, rocks, and a closeup of the back of the guest cabin. I was about to give up on trying to spot anything when all of the sudden ... something popped up in the lens. My heart lunged in my chest and I was so caught off guard to the point where I literally jumped back from the telescope for a second.

" _The hell...?!_ " I exchanged glances with Jess for a moment. Then, without saying anything, I grabbed the telescope again and glanced through it once more ... but I didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Whoever - or whatever - I'd seen just seen was no longer there, making me believe that it was just my paranoia getting the best of me again. After all, tonight's the anniversary, it's starting to get really dark, Jess and I were in the middle of the woods ... yeah, paranoia was the only explanation.

"Samplin' the ol' eggnog again, babe?" I asked with a teasing smile. "It's just us up here."

Jess hesitated before giving a tiny shrug. "Ah ... maybe."

She carefully leaned against the railing and lifted one of her legs up behind her as she continued to admire the view. I, on the other hand, pointed the flashlight in a random direction, only to have it land on this medium-sized sign that advertised three highly detailed images of a northwestern wolf, a grizzly bear, and a rocky mountain elk. Out of curiosity, I approached the sign and leaned in to read the faded sentences that were printed beneath the pictures.

"Hey, Jess?" I spoke up, still skimming some of the words.

"Mmm-huh?"

I squinted at the sign, nearly straining my eyes. "Stay close by, okay?"

"What's up?" Jess wondered aloud as she glanced over her shoulder at me.

The moonlight shined beautifully against her porcelain skin and snowflakes were landing perfectly in her hair, making it look like she was wearing a tiara.

"Ah..." I ran the flashlight's beam across the descriptions of the animals. "This posting says there's some brown bears up here sometimes."

Jessica clapped her hands together. "Oh, Michael!" She said excitedly. "I have the _best_ idea!"

"What?" I asked as we began striding down a decline in the trail.

"Let's go hug a bear. Come on. Please?" Jess was practically bouncing with every step she took, giggling. "Come on."

"Uh..." I was clearly taken off guard, almost at a loss for words. "Let's _not_ hug a bear!"

Slight disappointment flickered across my girlfriend's features; but as we made it to the gate and I grabbed the freezing latch to unlock it, her disappointment transformed into confusion.

"Wait a minute..." Jess said, furrowing her brow as she looked at me. "Doesn't Ethan ... you know, have some crazy interest in _talking_ to animals?"

My pale brown eyes widened. "Oh, God, we really need to find that kid." I muttered, at which I raised the latch, opened the gate, and motioned for Jessica to go first like a gentleman.

My beige-blonde babe went along with the cheesy roleplay and gave a small curtsy as she walked through. I immediately followed, closing the gate behind me and being careful with every step since the path was still descending.

Jess blew a long breath into her hands, right before she started running them up and down her arms. "Are we sure that Ethan even agreed to come back this year? What if this whole search for him is just one hell of a wild goose chase?" She asked, trembling a little as the two of us walked down yet another staircase that was implanted in the snow. It was obvious that she was starting to grow irritated with this whole 'quest' to find Ethan.

"Nah, that's impossible." I declined, still waving the flashlight in every possible direction. "Josh talked to me on the phone last week and while telling me all about the guest cabin, he brought up that the whole gang was returning for the party."

Jess rolled her eyes and sighed heavily; but didn't bother to say anything back.

Then, after we finished descending down two more sets of stairs, something came into view. In the near distance, between a couple of trees, an elk was mining its own business. At the sight of it, Jessica's lips molded into a small smile, as if she'd never been annoyed. I kept my eyes on the animal, wanting to make sure that it wouldn't get the wrong idea of me and my girlfriend walking through the woods ... but then, out of nowhere, I was nearly attacked by a bird. It came bounding out of the bushes, cawing loudly and missing my face by just a few inches. I swear, it was so close to the point where its eyes looked demonic.

"EEK!" I squealed in terror, flinging my unoccupied hand over my heart as I staggered back a couple of steps.

Jess instantly spun around and at the sight of me freaking out, she burst out laughing. "Watch out, bird-brain!" She exclaimed, clearly intending the pun.

I drew in one steady breath after another, trying to get my heartbeat to settle back down to a natural pace. I could feel my cheeks starting to burn in embarrassment ... but if there's one main thing that I learned from being the youngest out of three older brothers, it was this: laughing at yourself was always the best solution in predicaments like this.

* * *

 _ **X Annoyed (Rats with wings...)/Witty (I was just ... flirting.) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Witty**_

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Mike's Character Traits: Funny +1 (9/10)**

* * *

"I was just ... just answering its mating call." I explained, holding my arms out at my sides nonchalantly.

"Wow, you're easy." Jessica teased.

My face grew a little hotter. "Yeah. Got a lotta love to give."

Jess chuckled and turned back around, starting to sashay away from me.

"I was scared." I confessed under my breath. Then, while shaking my head at myself, I aimed the flashlight over towards where the elk had been standing; but my scream must've scared it off, because it was no longer there.

"Dammit, Ethan! Where are you?" Jess yelled out, cuffing her hands around her mouth as we started to stroll across a much more rundown bridge. "We don't have time for this stupid game of Hide and Seek! Stop acting like a dumbass! ... Ethan Darryl Miller!"

"Ethan! Dude!" I hollered next, making sure that my voice could be heard over the noisy river. "We know you're somewhere out here! Can you hear us?"

When nobody called back, I huffed and Jessica groaned. Our voices echoed through the trees, which had their branches swaying in the sharp breeze.

" _This mountain is huge. He could be anywhere. Damn._ " I grumbled internally.

My beige-blonde babe and I finished walking across the bridge, where the path broadened and the snow almost made it up to our ankles. I was starting to question Josh's directions, considering he had said that the guest cabin was right up the trail and he'd failed to mention anything about an abandoned mine shaft. Although, to be fair, this _was_ an enormous mountain and it was virtually impossible to know _everything_ about it - even for the Washington's.

Unfortunately, just as I thought that this journey to the guest cabin couldn't possibly get anymore difficult, I was proven wrong when Jess and I came face-to-face with yet another fallen tree. It was much larger than the previous one and powdered in a mixture of snow and ice. And, of course, there was the most taunting thing of all: another cheap wooden sign was pointing in the direction of the fallen tree, reading the word **CABIN**.

I stopped dead in my tracks and slumped my shoulders, beginning to get tired of all of these obstacles. "Dammit, Josh," I sighed, "couldn't you have at least cleared out the path before sending us up here?"

Jess scoffed lightheartedly. "Really?"

"What?" I inquired, raising a brow.

"I didn't figure you for the glass half empty type." Jessica replied with a playful glow in her eyes.

I gestured to the tree. "You got a better idea?"

My girlfriend twirled around on her tiptoes with her arms held out at her sides, as if she were a ballerina. "Stand back, Debbie Downer." She instructed, right before she trotted over the tree, stepped up onto one of the snowy rocks, and used one of the thin branches to haul herself up to the top.

"Oh, booooo! Show off!" I exclaimed, at which Jessica scooped up some snow and started packing it into a sphere as she stood up.

"Hey, Mike. You got something on your face." Jess pointed out.

I narrowed my eyes in confusion, seeming to forget for a second that she was holding a snowball. I even went as far as touching my cheek to feel what this 'something' on my face was. Then, before I got the chance to understand what my beige-blonde babe was really planning to do, she chucked the mushy snowball at me and it nailed me right in the side of my face. It practically exploded like wet confetti as soon as it came in contact with my head, numbing my skin even more.

"Boom!" Jess cheered.

I wiped my cheek with my sleeve and turned my back on her, waving my other hand in a challenging manner.

"Okay, okay." I said as I quickly knelt down and snatched up some snow that was already compacted in a ball. "Well. If that's how it's gonna be."

I threw my arm back, prepared to engage in another snowball war with my girlfriend ... but when I turned back around, all I saw was the tree. She was no longer standing at the top with that teasing grin on her face. She was ... actually gone.

Confusion fluttered in my eyes and I took a step closer to the tree. "Jess?" I called out.

That's when I heard the most horrifying thing possible. It made my heart feel like it dropped all the way down to the pit of my stomach. It was the sound of Jessica screaming at the top of her lungs, as if somebody - or something - was causing her harm.

My eyes shot gigantic. "Jess?!"

* * *

 **A/N: There you have it, my wonderful viewers. Another chapter has been completed. I hope you all had a blast reading the second part of _Jealousy_ as much as I have had a blast writing it. Though, let's keep in mind that we still have a long way to go and anything can happen in this story. ;)**

 **I also want to take a moment to give a shout out to my great friend Anarchist's Rose, who has written some amazing fanfics herself. I'm very lucky to have such an amazing friend like her, just like I'm lucky to have such fantastic viewers like all of you. Don't forget that you are all spectacular people, and make sure to check out Anarchist's Rose on here. In my opinion, her stories are awesome. :D**

 **Please give me feedback on your thoughts of this chapter. Don't be shy to share your opinions or you can PM them to me at anytime. Really, I'm _super_ thankful for feedback and it helps me very much. I also appreciate it, so don't ever feel like you have to hold back. Please review, and thank you all very much. :) **

**Also, like I stated in the first Author's Note at the top, my poll is still open and is advertised on my page. Who is your favorite new character in this story so far? Please cast your votes. I'm really interested in seeing what you all think!**

 **Well, I don't believe there are any questions I'll need to answer for this update. The time has come for me to officially end this chapter.**

 **I hope you all have a fantastic Resurrection Sunday (Easter) and stay safe! Happy reading and writing to you all, my amazing viewers! :D :D**

 **Crystalteen, out!**


	5. Jealousy (Part III)

**A/N: Look who has returned with the next chapter of _Return to Blackwood Mountain!_ That's right, the time has finally arrived for the third/final part of _Jealousy._ :D **

**First off, before we begin, I would like to apologize for taking quite some time on updating. Recently, I graduated and had previously been caught up in juggling boatloads of homework and preparations for tests. Not only that, but please understand that these chapters take time to work on. I honestly plan out every moment that's going to occur in the chapter before writing it, so I hope you all understand that I need to take my time while working on this story. I want to make sure it is suspenseful, entertaining, and enjoyable for all of you. :)**

 **On a second note, I want you all to give yourselves a pat on the back. :D No words could possibly describe how flattered I am to have so many viewers hooked on _Return to Blackwood Mountain_ so far. Seriously, I'm thankful for all of the views, favorites, follows, and reviews. You are all marvelous and I couldn't ask for a better audience. Let's keep it up! After all, this story is far from over and _anything_ can happen. ;)**

 **Thirdly, keep in mind that I love feedback. Feel free to share your opinions on this story in the reviews or you can PM them to me at any time. I very much do appreciate all of the feedback that I receive, so please don't hold back. :D**

 **Lastly, before we dive in to the chapter, I would like to remind you all that I have a poll on my page. Which OC in this story is your favorite so far? Let me know by casting your votes!**

 **Well, I believe that's all I want to say for now. It's time for you all to get comfortable and enjoy the third/final part of _Jealousy!_ :D **

**Happy reading, everyone!**

* * *

 ** _2\. JEALOUSY (PART III)_**

* * *

 **Russell's POV**

 ** _WASHINGTON LODGE THIRD FLOOR_**

 ** _22:37_**

Not once in my life had I ever thought about using the word _crazy_ to describe me, but Jess evidently had no problem with voicing her opinion. I didn't know what bothered me more: the fact that she turned her bitchy mouth on me and said such an insulting thing, or that a piece of me actually thought that she was right. I've always known that traumatic experiences could change a person's life forever, but I never imagined myself as being one of _those_ people. All because of _that_ night, my entire life had been flipped upside-down ... and nothing hurt me more than thinking about it; but in order to move on with the future, I _had_ to think about it. That didn't make me crazy ... right?

The shutters rattled from the harsh wind and the floorboards creaked with every step Sam and I took across the loft. Once again, I had pulled my phone out and activated the light to assist us in the dark. The bright beam tore clear through the dimmer rays of moonlight and exposed a frenzy of dust particles, making me almost want to hold my breath to prevent the risk of breaking out into a coughing fit.

Sam removed her phony fur hat from atop her head and tucked it underneath her arm as she turned to look at me. "Penny for your thoughts?" She said in a tone that was both curious and caring.

I exhaled and narrowed my eyes in thought, still moving my phone in a variety of directions. "I'm just trying to figure out why Josh didn't reactivate the power before inviting us all back here." I replied, making sure that I was choosing my words carefully. "Don't get me wrong, I understand that this place has been vacant for the past year, but I've always thought that providing electricity for a party was a no-brainer."

Sam faintly nodded at me in agreement. "Yeah, let's hope he gets that sorted out as soon as possible. Everything on this mountain practically becomes pitch black after midnight and if we keep using your phone as a flashlight, it won't last long on this trip." She noted as she pushed a few stray strands of her messy bun out of her face.

"Trust me, I know."

A small groan escaped from my mouth at the sight of my battery life. It was already down to sixty-two percent and one of the things that I hadn't bothered to pack was my charger. I kind of figured that my phone wouldn't be turned on for a majority of the trip, considering every time I came up to the Washington Estate in the past, I didn't need it to have fun with my friends. However, I guess it slipped my mind that the reason why I never really needed my phone was because the main friend I hung out with was Scott. We might've played a hell of a lot of video games and surfed the internet on a daily basis, but we never _really_ needed our electronics to enjoy ourselves at the lodge. We were the type of best friends that could have a blast with pretty much any activity ... but that clearly didn't matter anymore.

The battery dropped another percentage, making me roll my eyes. "Damn, why does this thing have to be so old? The battery goes down so much faster than what it used to." I muttered, continuing to wave the light from left to right. "It'll be a miracle if it lasts me until dawn."

"You didn't bring your charger?" Sam questioned.

I sighed and shook my head. "No, I didn't think that I would need it. I rarely use my phone when I come up here."

My girlfriend's eyes lit up with a pitiful glow, giving it away that she knew what I meant by my final sentence. "Well ... lucky for you, I packed mine." She managed to offer me a tiny smile as she adjusted the strap of her backpack on her shoulder. "If you want, after we finish getting all settled in, you can use it."

A grin curled up on the corners of my lips. "Thanks, Sammy. You're the best." I said, still using my phone to illuminate our path as I planted a kiss on the crown of her head.

"It's no problem, hon." Sam assured.

We exchanged smiles, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, I felt that pleasant warmth in my chest that I often felt whenever I was in my girlfriend's presence. I think Samantha Giddings had that affect on everyone. She really could brighten up anybody's day just by showing them one of her beautiful smiles. However, after a moment of silence ... I noticed Sam's entire expression change. Her grin had slowly faded away from her face and she was starting to look a little uneasy as she glanced around at our dim surroundings.

My brow automatically furrowed in concern. "Hey, you okay?" I asked gently.

Sam let out a small sigh and turned to look at me again, weakly nodding. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just a little weirded out by how everything in this lodge looks so ... _untouched_ after a whole year, you know?" She gave a small shrug at the word 'untouched,' as if she was wondering if that was the correct word to use. "I mean, I'm really glad that Josh is so thrilled about all of us agreeing to come back for the winter getaway, but after something as big as a police investigation..." She paused for a second and shrugged again, looking down at her boots before making eye contact with me again. "I don't know, I guess I imagined more of the furniture being moved out of this place and whatnot. Yet, it's all still here ... in the exact same positions as we left it last February."

I started faintly nodding as she spoke her last sentence, letting her know that I understood what she was talking about.

"I know, it's almost like we never left." I uttered, feeling a piece of my heart beginning to ache. "Although, not _everything_ is where it used to be."

Sam tilted her head like a confused puppy. "What do you mean?" She inquired.

I hesitated, pretending to fiddle around with the brightness of the light on my phone. Then, after I ran my bottom lip between my teeth to prevent myself from frowning, I glanced back at my girlfriend. "In order to get into the lodge, Chris and I had to climb in through a window that led into the Washington's storage room," I explained sorely, "and while making our way through it ... I found plenty of boxes that were filled with Scott's stuff. Judging by the amount of dust that was covering them, it's safe to assume that they've been kept away in there for at least a couple of months now."

As I spoke, the box that read _Scott's Awards_ came back to my mind. I still felt confused over the fact that it had been the only unsealed box in the entire closet; but I didn't really see the point of informing Sam about it. After all, it was just a box. As for the newspaper fragment that Chris and I had found, I didn't want to risk bringing it up and scaring Sam. We had already dealt with the paranoia of somebody stalking us during our hike up to the Cable Car station and it wasn't like the _Wanted_ sign made us feel any better. So, at least for the time being, I wanted to keep the newspaper clipping to myself. I could tell that Chris wasn't planning on telling anyone else about it anytime soon either.

Sammy's lips molded into a small frown as she took my hand in hers and gave it a comforting squeeze. "Aw, Russell..." She said with sympathy dripping from her voice. "That must've been really hard for you ... I'm sorry, I wish you didn't see that."

I shook my head at her, replying quickly. "No, I'm glad I did." I still sounded discouraged, but there was a tiny piece of hope embedded in my tone. "Knowing that Scott is no longer here with us still hurts, but I can't keep acting like last year never happened. It won't bring him, Hannah, and Beth back. So ... maybe seeing his stuff all packed up like that will help me be able to move on faster." Slight doubt twinkled in my eyes, but I tried to cling to the vague hope that I had and forced a sad grin across my face. "After all, it's a sign that Mr. and Mrs. Washington are in the process of healing. That's a good thing, right?"

Sam almost instantly nodded. "Right, right." She returned my small smile and lightly traced her thumb across my fingers in an attempt to comfort me. "Listen, no matter what happens, we're going to have an awesome time with everyone this weekend. I can guarantee that after we all get used to being back up here, we'll have the best vacation in history."

I was a little reluctant, but hearing her say that brought some reassurance to me. So, I nodded my head in agreement and said, "Yeah, I'm sure you're right, babe." As I did this, I buried the whole catastrophe that had happened downstairs the best that I could and my smile became a bit more genuine.

By this time, Sam and I had made it down to the far opposite end of the loft. Then, as we entered the same small, skinny hallway that Chris and I had walked through during our quest for the deodorant, I immediately started to move my light back and forth across the floorboards to prevent either of us from possibly tripping over anything. Although, my girlfriend and I were taking our time with every step.

"Brrr!" Sammy shivered and rubbed her hands together as fiercely as possible. "I don't think the lodge has ever been _this_ cold before."

"Tell me 'bout it." I said as I looped my unoccupied arm around her waist and tucked her close to my side, hoping that would help warm her up. "I'm colder in here than I ever was during my family's trip to Greenland back in sophomore year."

Sam chuckled as she ran her hands up and down her arms. "I guess that means all of Greenland is an understatement in this case." She joked, resting her head against my body with a precious smile on her face. "I just can't wait to climb into that Jacuzzi tub for a nice, long, hot bath."

"It'll chase away the goosebumps, that's for sure." My lips twisted into a teasing smirk, at which I moved my phone up close to my head so Sam could see it. "Good thing, too. I wouldn't want you to get sick, especially since we'll be sharing another bus ride at the end of this weekend and the last thing I want to go home with is a fever."

My girlfriend looked down at the floor and shook her head, trying to prevent me from seeing the amused smile that had broken out across her face. "Oh, ha, ha, ha. Very funny, smartass." She playfully elbowed me in the ribs, purposely applying a little force as she chuckled.

"Ow! Hey, there's no need to resort to violence! I was only kidding!" I laughed along and rubbed my cheek against the top of Sam's head, not really feeling any extreme pain from the nudge. "Seriously though, you deserve to have some alone time in the coolest bathroom known to man. I swear, all that's missing in there is a plasma screen on the wall."

"I think Josh actually talked about his dad agreeing to get one this summer." Sam informed.

I raised my eyebrows, running the light over the masks on the wall that had spooked Chris. To be fair, they _were_ a bit unsettling, especially in the dark. "Really?" I asked.

"Mm-hm." Sammy playfully rolled her eyes. "Josh mentioned that he's really looking forward to having the chance to watch _Baywatch_ while taking a bath."

"Yep, that definitely sounds like Josh." I snickered, recalling a humorous memory in which a little seven-year-old version of the eldest Washington asked his father why the people on _Baywatch_ ran so slowly. "It's good to see that he's so happy with Chelsea. I gotta admit, the thought of them being a couple never really crossed my mind before, but now ... I'm actually wondering what took them so long."

"If you ask me, the two of them were going to end up together one way or the other." Sam shared, clearly amused. "It's about time they made it official, considering they've been dancing circles around each other ever since Matt first introduced them."

I nodded, remembering how Josh and Chelsea used to be the type of friends who constantly teased and insulted each other with smiles on their faces. They genuinely cared about each other, but refused to admit that their feelings were anything above normal friendship levels. The group tried everything from Spin the Bottle, to Truth or Dare, to Ethan (who always got busted) forging lovey-dovey notes, to Chris flying a piece of mistletoe over Chelsea and Josh's heads with a toy helicopter during a Christmas party at Emily's house. Nothing seemed to be good enough to get those two to open up about how they were romantically interested in each other ... and yet, after years of denying their feelings, they were a couple now.

"To be honest, when I first found out, I was a little worried that there might've been a slight possibility that Chelsea was only dating Josh because she felt sorry for him." I admitted with slight foolishness highlighting the edge of my voice. "But now, after seeing how the two of them really are together, I'm proud to say that I'm no longer concerned about that." A small chuckle escaped from my system a few seconds later. "I don't think I've ever seen a couple kiss so much before in my entire life ... and we saw Mike and Emily practically sucking each other's lips off at my New Years Eve party back in junior year."

"I'm just glad that Josh and Chelsea finally realized their feelings for each other. They make a _very_ cute pair." Sammy cooed, just as we made it down to the other end of the teeny hallway. Though, instead of exiting right away, Sam stopped, turned to face me, and said with a flourish, "After you, Scarface."

"Oh, you are too kind." I retorted with playful sarcasm dripping from my words.

I stepped out onto the next loft, where I was instantly greeted by a bright shower of moonlight that was pouring in through the frost-covered windows. No longer needing my phone to act as a flashlight, I clicked it off and returned it to one of the pockets of my denim jacket. As I did this, Sam walked out of the hall and pulled the large door shut behind her.

I then glanced down towards the bathroom, where the door was still wide open. As I stared, the vicious wolverine came back to my mind, almost sending a chill down my spine. I didn't have the slightest clue as to how that thing had found a way into the lodge, much less one of the bathroom cabinets, but if there was one thing I knew for sure, it was that I wanted to prevent my girlfriend from encountering any danger. So, with no debating necessary, I turned to her and gestured for her to stay put.

"Hold on a minute, Sam." I stared directly into her teal orbs, voicing my concern. "I want you to stay here and let me go in first."

Sam squinted in confusion. "Why? What's the problem?"

"Chris and I nearly had our faces mauled off by that damn wolverine." I explained, crossing my arms over my chest. "It was sleeping in one of the cabinets. It probably snuck in sometime when the police were searching the estate. I just want to make sure that there's no more in there."

A teasing smile formed on Sam's face. "And what if there is?" She asked as she gave me a light punch on the arm. "Are you going to scream again?"

"Hey, Chris is the one who screamed. Not me." I fired back playfully. "I was raised in an environment in which I was taught how to handle these sorts of animals, but I want to make sure that you're safe while I'm doing it. So, all I ask is that you wait here until I make sure that it's empty."

There was a brief moment of hesitation, in which Sam pursed her lips and studied me in a contemplating manner. "Okay, fine. I'll stay put while you check." She eventually caved, waving me off. "Just be careful."

"I always am." I planted a quick kiss against her cheek, right before I turned away and approached the bathroom.

I froze in the doorway, feeling my girlfriend's eyes following my every move as I stared into the dim room. When I entered, I removed my orange-and-grey backpack and quietly placed it on an elegant chair that was beside the door. Though, I decided to keep my camera bag on. I made sure to keep each of my steps slow and cautious. They constantly clicked against the stone floor, despite how they were very light. I curled my hand into a loose fist and carefully started to tap my knuckles against the shiny countertop. This was a technique that my dad taught me during our hunting trips from back when I was a little kid. It helped startle animals into making noise without scaring them to the point where they would jump out and attack.

With every step I took, I tapped the counter three quick times and waited a few seconds before repeating the process. The entire time, I tried to ignore the sound of the icy wind screeching outside and listened carefully for any clawing or rustling that could be coming from inside anymore of the cabinets. I looked down at the floor as I continued to knock my knuckles against the counter, making sure that there were no more wolverines curled up in any of the dark spaces. This reminded me so much of the time when my father and I had volunteered to help my uncle get a raccoon out of his attic, in which I'd-

 _BANG!_

In less than a second, my eyes became wider than saucers and a startled yelp escaped from my mouth. I quickly snapped my attention over to the window, where the loud noise had originated from. It was just a tree branch that had been smacked against the glass from the wind. Right in front of my eyes, it continued to lightly knock against the window, as if it were teasing me.

"Holy crap..." I breathed a sigh of relief and closed my eyes, feeling my heart racing a hundred miles per hour. "Relax, Russ ... it's just a stupid branch..."

I drew in a steady breath, reopening my eyes. As I did, I noticed through the thin slits of the shutters that the snow - which had only been sprinkling the last time I checked - was starting to pour down a lot faster. It was the beginning of a whiteout.

"Damn, it's really starting to come down out there." I murmured under my breath, feeling the moonlight as it gleamed against my face. "Hopefully Mike and Jess won't run into any trouble on their way to the guest cabin. The woods sure as hell would be the last place I would want to be at this hour."

As soon as I said Jessica's name, I wished I hadn't. Her harsh words retaining to a ward and my _prescribed_ medication came back to my mind, making me purse my lips to prevent a frown from slipping across my face. I shook my head, trying to forget about the beige-blonde's bitchy comment as I continued my examination of the bathroom. About another minute went by, in which I found nothing and felt thankful. There were no more wolverines - it was safe in here.

"Alright. Thank God." I whispered to myself. "Looks like the coast is cl-"

A hand lightly, yet firmly pushed me on the back of my shoulder and a familiar voice hollered out, "BOO!"

I instantly sucked in a sharp breath, feeling my heart roughly punch the inside of my chest as I jumped like a startled cat. Then, as I flung my hand up to my chest, I spun around on my heels so fast that I was surprised that my head wasn't spinning in circles. That's when I saw the culprit of my scare: none other than Samantha Giddings. At the sight of my startled face, she burst into a fit of laughter and threw her arms across her stomach, as if her gut was about to bust.

"Oh my God! Sam!" I breathed out, trying to get my heart rate back to normal. "What ... what the heck was _that?_ I thought I told you to stay in the hall until I told you that it was safe to come in here!"

Sam worked on catching her breath. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, but this opportunity was sitting right in front of me and I couldn't just let it slip by. You should've seen the look on your face!" She flashed an entertained smile that exposed plenty of her pearly white teeth and continued to snicker between words. "Aww, did you think that I was the cute little baby wolverine coming back to get you? Was _that_ why you were so freaked out?"

I removed my hand from my chest, finally feeling my heart starting to go back to a natural pace. "I was _not_ freaked out." I objected, shaking my head a little.

"Oh, really?" Sam's grin transformed into a smug one and the amusement increased in her eyes. "Does than mean you became as white as a sheet and jumped at least fifty feet in the air right in front of me just because you _wanted to?_ You looked like you were about to crap your pants!"

I exhaled quietly as I kept my attention locked on my giggling girlfriend, hoping that there wasn't an embarrassed blush decorating my face. Ever since what happened to Hannah, I hated being the victim of pranks. I'm not saying that I never looked towards the bright side and laughed at myself in the end, but nowadays ... I got the gut-wrenching reminder that Hannah never got that. The group's prank on her caused her, along with Beth and Scott, to disappear ... and it might've even took their lives. Don't get me wrong, I knew that Sam was only trying to have some fun ... but one way or the other, I wasn't planning on letting her get away with this.

* * *

 _ **X Annoyed (Why do you have to do crap like that?)/Playful (I'm going to get you!) X**_

 ** _Choice Chosen: Playful_**

* * *

Suddenly, as if it was meant to happen at that moment, a silly game that Sam and I had both enjoyed during our childhood years came to my mind. Just remembering it caused a sneaky smirk to crack widely across my face, and my icy blue eyes shined with playful mischief.

"I'm warning you, Sam, you're _not_ going to get away with this." I chuckled, finding at least some amusement in my girlfriend's little joke. "Like the saying says, payback is a real bitch."

"Is that so?" As if she were challenging me, Sam placed her hands on her hips and took a step closer to me. "I'd hate to burst your bubble, Scarface, but nothing you could possibly do would _ever_ make me regret getting the _hilarious_ reaction that I did out of you."

I could feel the playfulness inside of me growing more and more by the minute. "Are you sure about that?" I inquired as I raised my hands and wiggled my fingers menacingly.

In the blink of an eye, the amusement vanished from Sam's face and her eyes widened. "Russ..." She spoke like she was trying to talk someone out of activating a bomb, "...don't even think about it."

I took a small step forward, at which she took a small step back.

"Aww, what's the problem, Sammy?" I asked, cocking my head in false concern. "You used to _love_ it when the Tickle Monster dropped by for a visit."

My smirk became a lot more devious when I addressed our favorite childhood monster, and I could see the memories starting to play in my girlfriend's eyes. She was already fighting the urge to smile and losing miserably.

She made a break for the door as soon as I finished my sentence; but I was right on her heels with a playful roar. A small, bubbly scream escaped from Sam's mouth as I threw my arms around her waist and easily pulled her up into the air. Then, after twirling back around so we would no longer be facing the exit, I plopped her back down on the ground and kept her pinned against my body as I knead my wiggling fingers into her flanks, knowing that her purple sweater wouldn't provide much protection. In less than a second, Sam had her head flown back against my chest and gorgeous laughter was pouring out of her mouth like a waterfall.

I was now wearing a full-toothed grin and chuckling to myself as I used as much of my strength as possible to prevent Sammy from escaping. She was squirming around so much to the point where it was like the two of us were caught up in preforming a backwards version of the Foxtrot.

"RUSSELL!" Sam squealed, dissolving into adorable snorts as I danced my fingertips up to her ribcage. "STOP!"

"I'm sorry, Sam, but you know the rules!" I proclaimed, clearly amused. "The Tickle Monster shows no mercy!"

My girlfriend tried to shoot me a glare, but couldn't due to how much I was making her laugh. Her entire face was covered by a scarlet tint and a lovely, ear-to-ear smile. However, when I traced my twirling fingers back down her sides and playfully pinched her hips, Sam ended up stepping one of her feet over the other too quickly while attempting to break free. She was still in my grasp, so wherever she went, I went with her.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed as I tried to get us to regain our balance. "Careful!"

We both ended up falling, but instead of collapsing down to the floor, we ended up landing safely on the deluxe couch that was, for some reason, in the bathroom. Sam landed on her back against the soft white cushions and I landed on top of her, luckily not causing any pain. No space was left between our bodies and we were both giggling like lovesick morons, though Sammy was also trying to recover from the tickle attack.

"My God," I stared directly into my girlfriend's teal orbs, still snickering, "since when did our relationship turn into one from one of those insanely cheesy chick flicks?"

"Hey, you can't blame me for that. That's _your_ fault." Sam accused, pointing a finger at me with a grin. " _I'm_ not the one who pulled the Tickle Monster card."

I used the tips of my fingers to gently stroke some locks of her hair out of her face.

"Aw, come on, it was our _favorite_ game from when we were kids. Nothing wrong with bringing back some good memories, especially right now." Despite how my final three words sent a small sting through my heart, I didn't allow it to ruin the romantic moment that I was having with Sam. "And besides, even after all of these years, I still love how it provides me with the opportunity to hear your sexy laugh."

The palest shade of pink made a return to Sam's face as she scoffed and playfully rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up and give me a kiss already." She then purred with a flirtatious note embedded in her voice.

"No need to tell me twice." I whispered charmingly.

We were already close enough to the point where I could smell her sweet perfume and the freshness of mint candy on her breath. Nonetheless, the tiny gap that was between our faces became nonexistent as I melted our lips together, creating a blissful kiss. It eventually became a lot more passionate, in which I rested my hand against Sam's smooth cheek and she started raking her own hand through my dusty blonde hair, pushing it away from my face. I could feel her twisting some strands around her fingers as I innocently traced the tip of my tongue across her bottom lip. I detected the mixed taste of strawberry and mango from her lipgloss, right before she pulled me in for another full-on kiss.

At that moment, for some weird reason, I recalled a joke that Chris had told once. It involved how Mike and Emily had made out to the point where they sounded like two suction cups that were constantly smacking together. Josh even thought it was hilarious enough to post on his Twitter, but he left out Emily and Mike's names and made up the hashtag "suctionfaces." Just remembering the joke brought a smile to my face, even with my girlfriend's lips resting on top of mine. Although, that wasn't the only thing that made me smile. I could've sworn that I felt something run down my side...

Then, almost in the blink of an eye, Sam abruptly tore herself away from me and-

"Whoa! Hey!" I yelped as I became pinned against the cushions.

-completely turned the tables with a strong shove to the side. Now, I was the one with my back lying flat against the sofa and Sam was the one sitting on top, looking down at me with a devilish grin on her face.

"You didn't think that I was _really_ going to let you get away with tickling me, did you?" She asked, sounding just as evil as she looked.

My eyes instantly grew. "Hey now, Sammy, let's not make any rash decisions..." A few quick snickers already managed to escape from my system when my girlfriend positioned her hand on top of my stomach and drummed her light blue nails against the thin fabric of my camouflage T-shirt.

"Too late!" Sam proclaimed.

"Dam-MIT! NO FAIR!" As soon as I reached the second syllable of 'dammit,' she dug all ten of her squirming fingers into my abdomen and laughter erupted out of me like a volcano. "SAMMY! QUIT IT!"

"Aww, don't you remember the rules, Russ?" My girlfriend's taunting smirk was so wide to the point where it looked like her face was seconds away from splitting. "Like you told me, the Tickle Monster shows _no mercy!_ "

As she said her final two words, she raced her hands up to my ribs like two quick spiders and squeezed just below the bones. Out of complete reflex, while arching my back and squealing at the top of my lungs like a madman, I shot my arms out, placed my hands on top of her shoulders, and tried to push her off. Unfortunately, not only did Sam have her legs locked firmly around my waist, but I provided her with an opening.

"Oh, so you're trying to shove me away, huh?" The playfulness glowed brightly in Sam's eyes. "I guess that means I should go in for the kill now."

What she did next made my laughter kick up so many more notches that it began to fall silent. She dove her hands underneath my denim jacket and snuck her fingers into the cuffed sleeves of my T-shirt, where she then prodded the sensitive flesh of my hairless armpits with her long nails. I immediately pulled my arms back and pinned them down at my sides, trapping my girlfriend's fingers where they were and making her chuckle. I couldn't stop howling to save my life.

"Russell~" Sammy sang, still tormenting my underarms with her fingers. "If you want me to stop, you're gonna have to release my hands. I kind of need them in my life."

I didn't think twice before raising my arms, wanting the tickle torture to come to an end. However, I ended up regretting it because instead of pulling her hands away, Sam buried her taunting fingers even deeper into my hallows. By this point, my face was burning, my chest was quivering from my lack of deep breaths, and my throat was aching from cackling so much. I was actually surprised there were no tears in my eyes.

I couldn't remember the last time I'd ever laughed so much before. It had been a long time, that's for sure. For a moment, it almost felt like last year hadn't ended the way that it did and this was just one of the gang's happy, usual trips up to the Washington Estate. Unfortunately, deep down inside, I knew that wasn't true. Despite my laughter and how much I really was enjoying my time with Sam, I knew that my depression was still there. It was hiding deep inside my brain ... just waiting to creep out and devour me once again.

"C-CHEATER!" I choked out through my laughter, causing my girlfriend's wicked smirk to melt into a fond smile. "ALRIGHT! I GIVE! I GIVE!"

As soon as those words left my mouth, Sam yielded and relief flashed through my body at the speed of soaring bullet. I drew in one large breath after another, trying to recharge my lungs as a few leftover giggles bubbled out of my mouth.

"Phew! Holy Mother of God..." I panted lightheartedly, "...it's been so long, I forgot how cruel the Tickle Monster is."

Sam snickered and repositioned herself so she was now hovering over me. "Yeah, I think you've learned your lesson." She declared, looking into my eyes. "Truce?"

I gave a small nod. "Truce."

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Russell's Character Traits: Romantic +1 (7/10), Funny +1 (6/10)**

 **Sam's Character Traits: Romantic +1 (5/10), Funny +1 (5/10)**

* * *

"Good." To make it official, Sammy leaned down and gave me another kiss that I gladly returned. It lasted about five seconds. Then, after we separated, she helped herself up from the couch and nonchalantly untangled her red scarf from around her neck, revealing the silver locket I'd given her at the bus stop. "Okay, that's enough goofing around, Russ. Can you help me get everything set up for my bath now?" Sam requested in an amused tone as she folded the scarf into a perfect square and placed it on the same fancy chair that my backpack was sitting on.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm on it, Sammy." I stood up, pushed my shoulder-length hair out of my face, and fixed my camera bag so it was resting against my hip again. "What do you want me to do?"

My girlfriend pulled open a drawer and retrieved one of the Washington Estate's towels as she replied, "Just look around for some candles."

"Alright."

I strode over to the opposite side of the bathroom and knelt down in front of one of the cabinets. Then, after opening it with a small _squeak_ filling my eardrums, I found God knows how many wax candles arranged in a series of untouched straight lines. They were all specifically placed in order from not just tallest to shortest, but from color coordination as well. The white and pastel yellow cylindrical candles were further back, while the maroon ones in the shape of cubes were perfectly aligned in the front. To me, this was a definite giveaway that Mrs. Washington had been depending a lot on her neat freak side to distract her from the loss of the triplets.

"Well, crap." I said as I stared at the dozens of candles in disbelief.

"What is it?" Sam questioned, glancing over her shoulder at me. "Did you find any candles?"

"Yeah, a whole sea of 'em."

My girlfriend's faux fur boots clicked against the floor as she walked over from the other side of the room. She then leaned over and peered into the cabinet from over my shoulder, scanning her eyes across the large collection.

"Wow." Sam droned with a tiny speck of sympathy buried in her voice. "Looks like Josh's mom has been very busy lately."

"You could say that again." I muttered, right before I reached in, grabbed a few of the cylindrical candles, and handed them over to Sam. "Why does Mrs. Washington have so many candles anyway?"

I continued to gather more candles as I asked that, while my girlfriend headed back over to the Jacuzzi tub and started to arrange the ones that I'd given her in different spots around the mahogany edge.

"She and Josh's dad were helping to inspire Hannah." Sam explained, in which I rose back up and began to place the candles that I collected across the countertops. "After all, on the side of wanting to go away to law school to become an attorney, Hannah had always dreamed of opening her own candle shop. So, her parents bought practically a million candles in the hopes of keeping her dreams strong."

As she explained, I took a small sniff at one of the cubed candles and crinkled my nose. It smelled like a musty Fruit Snack, courtesy of being stored away in a cabinet for God knows how long. Though, after Sam finished speaking, I simply sat it down on one of the windowsills and looked over at her with slight surprise.

"Really? I never knew that Hannah wanted to open a candle shop." I remarked.

Sammy continued to lay out the candles, dusting off some wax specks from her hands by wiping them against her skirt. "You didn't?" She asked, sounding both confused and surprised. "She brought it up to nearly every person she came in contact with."

I straightened my lips, not knowing exactly if Sam knew about Hannah's prior hatred towards me or not. If she did know, I didn't want to risk upsetting her by asking about it; and if she didn't, I still had the chance to upset her by confessing it. Although, I didn't think this was the best time to have a conversation like _that._

"Well, she must've forgotten me." I mumbled as I returned to the cabinet to gather more candles.

Hannah and I might've never seen eye-to-eye, but one of the main things that really bothered me about her absence was the fact that I hardly knew anything about her. I'm not saying that I didn't know _anything,_ but I was definitely the one who knew the least in the entire gang. Even Emily, the self-centered one, and Mike, who refused to think of Hannah as anything more than an acquaintance, knew more about her than I did. Believe it or not, that hurt me ... and it hurt more knowing that I never managed to find out the reason behind _why_ she hated me.

I turned to face the window, watching through the frost as the same tree branch continued to occasionally tap against the glass. The sound of the wind whaling sent an uncomfortable shiver through my bones ... and if I listened carefully enough, I could've sworn that a piece of me could still hear the upsetting sound of Beth and Scott's voices calling out Hannah's name as they ran off into the woods - never to be seen again.

I started to vaguely imagine the falling snowflakes reflecting in my eyes. The last thing I wanted to do right now was bum myself out to the point where I would start crying.

"No offence to Mike, but he _really_ missed out." I said out of nowhere.

Sam cocked her head a little at me. "What are you getting at?" She asked, sounding genuinely curious.

There was a brief moment of hesitation before I turned to return her gaze. I leaned back against the counter, trying to think of the best way for me to say what was on my mind.

* * *

 _ **X Sincere (Mike should've given Hannah a chance...)/Harsh (I can't believe the way Mike treated Hannah...) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Sincere**_

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Russell's Character Traits: Honest +1 (8/10)**

* * *

"It's pretty obvious that Hannah was a great person with a remarkable life ahead of her." I crossed my arms over my chest and spoke with complete honesty. "Ever since we were kids, she had always been very caring, intelligent, and ambitious. She kept on top of her studies, she was a star tennis player, she loved participating in volunteer work, and nothing prevented her from being there for her friends and family. In fact, I think she purposely kept a majority of her life centered around Beth, Josh, Scott, and their parents."

As I talked, Sam softly nodded to let me know that she was listening. Although, I could tell by the look on her face that she was also caught up in thinking about plenty of memories that revolved around her missing best friend.

"But for some reason, Mike didn't seem to acknowledge any of that. The way he treated her ... it was..." I buzzed my lips, trying to string together the words that I had in my head. "Kind of unfair. I mean, I know Mike is a good friend to have, but ... he didn't really treat Hannah like she was a member in the group. He might've said hey to her and engaged in a few vague conversations every once in awhile, but most of the time, it was like Hannah was ... just there to him, you know?" I squinted in thought at my final few words, hoping that I didn't sound confusing.

"Well, you know how Mike is with girls." Sammy remarked with a tiny shrug. "He lives to rate them."

"Yeah, I know ... and that's a _really_ bad habit to get involved in." I informed as I began to tap one of my fingers against my bicep. "I mean, if you _really_ take the time to think about it, Mike's longest relationship was with Emily ... and the two of them constantly fought and went on and off. Ever since the beginning of high school, it's like all he seems to do with girls is jump from one to the next and claim that he loves them."

Sam squatted down in front of the cabinet and retrieved some more candles. "Everyone in the gang knows that Mike's a player, hon. It's who he chooses to be ... unfortunately." She said, evidently disapproving the Class President's behavior. "Do you have anything against him?"

I straightened my lips and hesitated, thinking about the somewhat abrupt question. "No..." I eventually answered, looking down at my shoes for a moment. "At least, not anymore. I decided to bury that hatchet as soon as I saw him walk in downstairs. What about you?"

"I was mad at him last year for what he did, no doubt about that ... but you know me, Scarface. I hate holding grudges against people." Sam reminded, making eye contact with me.

I gave a small nod and watched as she then continued to scatter the extra candles around the bathroom. "I just think that he should've given Hannah a chance. Who knows, maybe she would've pulled him out of this whole girl-to-girl routine that he's been carrying around with him ever since freshman year."

Sam turned to look at me again. "Uh ... maybe. You never know." She said as she wiped some more glossy specks of wax off from her hands. "Hannah definitely wasn't anything like any of the other girls that Mike's hooked up with in the past."

"My point exactly. All of Mike's exes were either self-absorbed or willing to do anything for a ride home in the rain." I pointed out, finally uncrossing my arms. "If he had dated Hannah, I honestly do believe that his eyes would've been open to a healthy relationship that had the chance of actually going somewhere."

Sammy looked unsure. "I don't know, Russ. As happy as I would've been for Hannah if she had gotten together with a guy that she truly admired, the furthest any of Mike's relationships ever got was the couch in his den."

I crinkled my nose in disgust. "Okay, I could've gone all my life without knowing the direct location of where Mike dedicates his sex life, Sammy."

A small, amused grin formed on my girlfriend's face as she held her hands up to her shoulders. "Alright. My bad, sorry." She apologized with a slight chuckle. "You were saying?"

"I was saying..." I paused for a moment to think of my words again. "Mike told all of those girls that he loved them, but it's pretty obvious that he didn't. The way I see it, he just made himself _think_ he was."

"And what about Jessica?" Sam asked with slight annoyance highlighting the edge of her voice at her own mention of the beige-blonde snob. "Do you think he's in love with her?"

Jessica's harsh words echoed across my mind for the thousandth time, " _Oh, shut up, Russell!_ _Nobody here gives a crap about what you have to say! So, why don't you go back to the ward where you belong and swallow some more of those pills?_ " This time, it almost made me cringe; but I maintained my sincere tone and continued my conversation with Sam as naturally as possible.

"No, I don't." I replied, shaking my head a little. "See, Sam, when it comes to being in love, there are two types of 'I love yous.' The first 'I love you' means you are in a happy, loving, committed relationship that doesn't break down over the tiniest things, doesn't need to revolve around sex, and it has the chance of actually going somewhere in life. As for the second 'I love you,' it's treated like a pickup line. You say it, sleep with the person once or a couple of times, and then ditch the relationship in an attempt to repeat it with somebody else." I felt a little bad for saying this, but I was just voicing my thoughts. "I hate to say it, but Mike's definitely using the second type of 'I love you.' He only convinces himself that he's in love with whatever girl he's with in order to erase any guilt he may feel for ending the relationship after sleeping with them."

A small, genuine smile twisted across my girlfriend's rosy lips. "Well, it's nice to know that you believe that Hannah would've been able to change all of that if Mike had just given her a chance." She said, evidently wanting to drop this topic. "If she were still here, I bet she would appreciate you saying something as meaningful as that."

As much as I wanted to believe that, I knew that the chances of it being true were incredibly low. Nonetheless, I returned Sammy's smile and gave a small nod of false agreement as I took a seat on the mahogany edge of the Jacuzzi, making sure to be careful of the candles. As I did this, Sam stepped up onto the single polished stair that led up into the tub and got ready to fiddle around with the faucets.

"Sammy!" Josh's voice suddenly called out from downstairs.

Sam and I turned to glance out the wide-open door. "Whaaaaat?" She called back, wearing a friendly grin.

"You wanna help me get this fire going?" the eldest Washington asked.

At the mention of a fire, I could've sworn that the room had gotten even _colder,_ as if the mountain temperature was trying to taunt me. As a result of this, I shivered slightly and cuffed my hands around my mouth to blow into them.

"Ummmm - well..." Sam cut a glance over to me, faintly blushing. "I was just getting into the bath-"

My lips molded into a teasing smirk as I sent her a flirty wink. I could tell that she was turning pink over the fact that we'd been mostly caught up in kissing and whatnot instead of preparing for her bath. I thought it was cute, especially since she was keeping it a secret from Josh. Who, by the way, sure as hell would gossip and joke about it with the rest of the group if he knew.

"Oh!" Josh's voice became intrigued and slightly frisky. "Well, do you need any help with that?"

I instantly felt my cheeks start to burn. A small scoff escaped from my mouth as I rolled my eyes in annoyance, secretly knowing that he wouldn't be joking like that if Chelsea hadn't left with Matt and Emily.

Sam sarcastically laughed, "Hardy har." Then, while rolling her eyes in a much more lighthearted manner, she turned back to the tub and began to study the engraved labels that were on the faucets.

"Well, what about you, Scarface?" Josh inquired, in which I peeked back over towards the door. "I wasn't going to say anything earlier, but you do look quite sexy this evening. Have you been working out? Maybe you can show off your ruggedly handsome manliness by helping me out with this fire." His voice was dripping with phony passion, making it even more clear that he was just goofing around.

My girlfriend covered her mouth with one hand and tried choking back a snort. I, on the other hand, couldn't prevent myself from lightly laughing.

"Screw you, man!" I revoked with a small grin. "You're on your own!"

Josh broke out laughing. "Hey, it was worth a shot!" He fired back.

I breathed another chuckle and shook my head in amusement, trying to figure out where he got all of these silly antics from. Then, when I glanced over at Sam again, I noticed that she was now looking directly at me with a fascinated glint in her eyes.

"You know, I think it's really cute when you get all jealous like that." She purred.

At the word 'jealous,' I felt a wave of heat tingle across my face; but I tried to play it off. "I am one hundred percent sure that I don't know what you're talking about." I noted with the most nonchalant expression in existence.

"Oh, come on, Russell. You know you can't lie to me." Sammy stepped down from the single stair, sauntered over to me, and leaned in so our faces were close. "I saw you roll your eyes when Josh asked if I needed help climbing into the tub. You _always_ do that when another guy flirts with me, even if they're just joking."

With every word she spoke, the hotter I felt from the embarrassment of being caught. " _Damn, she knows me so well._ " I told myself in my mind.

* * *

 _ **X Admit (I get jealous...)/Insist (I'm not jealous!) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Admit**_

* * *

I exhaled, knowing there was no point in trying to slip pass Sam. After all, she was the number one person in the group that came with a built-in lying detector.

"Okay, so I might get _a little_ jealous." I admitted ... and then, at that moment, I decided to be a little flirty. I placed my hand against my girlfriend's elbow and slid it down her arm, watching her cheeks become pinker than cotton candy. "But can you blame me? You're _my_ strawberry Poptart." I couldn't help but chuckle at my final two words, lacing our fingers together when my hand united with hers.

Sam broke out into a wide grin and laughed, catching how I'd used her old nickname from when we were kids. "Don't call me that!" She ordered as she rested her forehead against mine.

"No, I refuse to change history!" I retaliated, snickering along with her.

After a couple of seconds, we delicately placed our lips together and savored yet another content kiss. With friends like ours, this would probably be one of the only times during the entire trip in which we would be able to be romantic without getting teased or bombarded with humiliating questions. So, we were both allowing ourselves to enjoy the alone time that we had ... even though I was only up here to help her prepare her bath.

"Okay, okay. That's it." Sam declared after we parted. She withdrew her hand from mine and walked back over to the valves, shooting me a sweet smile. "You've distracted me from my long, relaxing bath long enough."

I playfully rolled my eyes, just as my girlfriend twisted one of the faucets enough times to get the water to flow out. However, when she placed her hand in to test it, the grin disappeared from her face.

"Come on." She grumbled, displeased.

"What's the problem?" I inquired.

Sam pulled her hand back out and wiped it against her skirt as she replied, "See for yourself."

I raised a brow in confusion and pushed myself up onto my feet. Then, after approaching my girlfriend's side, I leaned over, positioned my hand underneath the running water, and realized what issue was. The water was _cold ..._ actually, no. That would be an understatement. It was _beyond_ cold, making it easy to believe that anyone who risked bathing in it would come out with frostbite or a case of pneumonia.

"Crap, it's freezing!" I hissed as I yanked my hand away from the faucet and shook as much of the water as I could off. "For the time being, I can live with there being no electricity. But no warm water? That's going to stir up quite a few problems on this trip if it doesn't get fixed."

"No doubt about that. We better tell Josh." Sammy turned the faucets back around, turning off the water. "Alright, Josh. Let's see if you know how to hook up the hot water in your big, fancy lodge."

She stepped down from the tub again and I motioned for her to leave first. "After you." I declared.

My girlfriend obliged, heading towards the door with me following closely behind. Then, out of nowhere, as soon as we stepped out onto the loft ... there was still _really weird_ noise. It almost sounded like a shrill scream, followed by what was like something scurrying in the distance outside.

My eyes shimmered with suspicion and a somewhat uneasy feeling filled the inside of my gut as I tilted my head back to look up at the ceiling. At the same time, Sam slowly turned around to face me.

"Whoa..." She droned, sounding both confused and cautious. "What was that?"

"I ... have no idea." I replied, carefully dragging my eyes across the ceiling; but when I failed to spot anything unusual, I locked my attention back on Sam. "If I had to guess, it was probably just a wolf or some other type of animal. I bet it's nothing to worry about. Let's just get downstairs so we can inform Josh about the lack of hot water."

Sam nodded. "Right."

Just then, as she started to pursue down the loft, something caught my attention from the corner of my eye. I turned my head in the opposite direction that Sam was heading and noticed that there was another door. It was wide open, as if somebody had just recently been in there ... and I knew exactly whose room that was. It was Hannah's old bedroom. I'd only been in there a few times, considering I used to sneak in there with Scott to pull some small, harmless, silly pranks on her as preteens. It's certainly been a long time since I'd last step foot inside that room ... but at that moment, it was like something was drawing me to it.

* * *

 _ **X Search Room/Follow Sam X**_

 ** _Choice Chosen: Search Room_**

* * *

I slowly started to approach the door, unable to fight the curiosity that was brewing inside of me. Then, when I made it to the doorway, I ceased in my tracks and sniffed the air. It had been a whole year and Hannah's room was still choked with the scents of coconut lipgloss, expensive French perfume, and hairspray. It made a piece of me get my hopes up, as if my brain was trying to tell me that the disappearence of the triplets never happened and they were happily in the lodge with the rest of us ... but I wasn't dumb. I knew that they were gone and more than likely dead.

My depression started to weigh down on my heart and I fought the urge to frown as I stared at a brightly colored piece of Pop Art that was hanging on the wall. In the background, I could hear the sound of Sam's footsteps growing fainter as she headed further down the other end of the loft. Nonetheless, instead of turning around, I walked further into the bedroom. I headed up the short, classy, mahogany staircase and froze at the top, feeling the dread in my chest increase as I studied the atmosphere.

Everything looked very familiar from when I used to sneak in here with Scott. Hannah's top three favorite colors: pink, purple, and pastel yellow, were still decorating the walls with elegant gold patterns detailed in. Also, there were still so many multicolored butterfly clippings plastered in a variety of areas around the room, giving the illusion that they were fluttering around. The bed was still neatly made, covered with a thick floral comforter and dozens of fancy pillows that were perfectly arranged at the cream-colored headboard. Overall, aside from some new rugs and plenty of additional photos that consisted of skyscrapers, Hannah's room looked just as I remembered it.

"Seven years since I've last been in here and everything looks so untouched." I muttered under my breath, pouting just slightly. "I can't believe it's all still here."

Despite how I already had a hunch as to what the results were going to be, I placed my hand against the light switch that was to my left and flipped it. Of course, just as I suspected, the electricity was still all whacked out. I tried flipping the switch a couple of more times just to make sure, but the lights refused to turn on.

"Why am I not surprised?" I grumbled as I retracted my hand from the switch and rolled my eyes.

Just then, I overheard the sound of the large door at the opposite end of the loft squeaking open. Though, just as I thought that Sam was going to head downstairs without me, I was proven wrong when I heard the sound of her voice.

"Russell?" She called out, confused. "What the heck? ... Where'd you go?"

"I'm in here, Sam." I called back with no direct emotion as I continued to take in my surroundings.

In less than a second, the sound of my girlfriend's footsteps coming quickly in my direction filled the air. She appeared in the doorway within a couple of seconds and began walking up the few stairs. The floorboards softly creaked beneath her feet with every step she took.

"Russ, what are you doing in-" Sam cut herself off when she made it beside me at the top. Her attention had been grabbed by the room, causing this sad shimmer to twinkle inside her teal orbs.

Sam took a few, much more careful steps inside. The moonlight that was pouring in through the windows gleamed against her soft skin and made her leather jacket almost look like it was glowing. "Wow..." She said in a somewhat emotional voice, "...all Hannah's stuff."

That time, I couldn't help but frown a little more. Sometimes, I got so caught up in missing Scott that I forgot that Sam was on the same boat as me. We were both victims to losing our best friends.

"Yeah." I said with small, sympathetic sigh as I continued to gaze around the pretty room. "It looks like Mr. and Mrs. Washington couldn't bring themselves to pack up _all_ of the triplets' belongings yet."

Sam picked up a pink crystal bottle of perfume from Hannah's desk and twirled it around in her fingertips, examining it. "It doesn't look like the police did much in here during their investigation either. Everything looks exactly as I remember it from my sleepover with Hannah about a month before the disappearence." She shared, right before she glanced over her shoulder at me. "Why do you think the door was left wide open? Hannah always kept it shut."

I placed my hands on my waist and straightened my lips, thinking about her question. "Maybe it's a coping method." I proposed, even though I wasn't one hundred percent certain. "Dr. Harris explained to me during my first month of therapy that after a traumatic experience, some people are in such shock or denial that they close up any possible entrances to rooms that were somehow connected to those who were lost." I gave a small gesture around the bedroom. "It's only a guess, but ... I think it makes sense that the Washington's would want to keep this room open in order to help them accept the past and continue on with their lives. Even though that's ... incredibly difficult." I made sure to mutter that last sentence to myself, not wanting Sammy to hear it.

Sam didn't say anything back. Instead, with the faint sound of the wind rustling through the trees right outside the large window, she fixed her attention back on the perfume bottle and delicately traced her thumb across it. For a moment, I just watched and waited to see if she would say something; but she didn't.

"Sammy?" My voice became tainted with concern as I approached her and placed my hands gently on her shoulders from behind. "Is everything alright, babe?"

There was a brief period of hesitation before Sam turned around to make eye contact again. Half of her face was illuminated by a silvery ray of moonlight, revealing something that I didn't catch before. There was a single tear dripping reluctantly down her cheek, slightly darkened from her black mascara.

"I miss her, Russ..." Her rosy lips trembled a little, forming a tearful smile. "I miss her so damn much..."

I immediately wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into a consoling hug. Sorrow glistened in my eyes and a devastated frown fell across my face as I looked down at my girlfriend, seeing her face buried in my chest. She was still holding the bottle of perfume, keeping it close to her heart like it was the last item of Hannah's that existed. It took _a lot_ to get Sam to cry, especially in front of other people. In fact, I was the only person who she was fully comfortable with letting it all out to.

"I know you do, sweetheart ... I know you do." I whispered as I traced small circles along her back with my fingertips in an attempt to sooth her. "I miss her, too ... hell, I miss all three of them. They were amazing people and whatever happened to them ... they damn sure didn't deserve it."

Sam hardly made a peep, but I could still feel the wetness of tears beginning to seep through the fabric of my shirt. About a minute went by with me just holding her close before she looked up at me, lightly sniffling with surprisingly no makeup smeared. I automatically started using the cuff of my denim jacket to clean her face, missing a few tears as they dripped down and landed on the crystal bottle.

"I feel so silly crying like this right now." Sam said with a tiny, sad giggle. She used her thumb to wipe the teardrops away from Hannah's perfume. "I mean, _you've_ been going through a hell of a lot more since-"

"Sam, look at me and listen." I positioned my hand under her chin and got her watery eyes to meet my serious, yet gentle ones again. "There is _no_ reason at all as to why you should feel silly for this. I don't care about how I'm scheduled to attend therapy at one moment and then scarf down antidepressants the very next. That doesn't change how..." My voice started to become choked up, so I took down a gulp to help me balance out the care and devastation. "My diagnosis doesn't change how _w_ _e all_ lost three friends that night ... and one way or the other, _all of us_ were affected by that. But I want you to remember what you told me at the bus stop, okay?"

My girlfriend nodded, sniffling one more time before she drew in a calming breath. "We're all in need of closure ... and we're all gonna make the best of this weekend because that's what Beth, Hannah, and Scott would want from us." She recited.

"That's right." I offered her a comforting grin and wiped away the final tear from her face, despite how I still felt some aching in my chest. "We're all going to pull through this, baby ... no matter how long it may take, we _can_ and we _are_ going to do it. We're strong, Sammy."

A much more genuine smile crossed over Sam's face, making it difficult to believe that she had just got done crying. "Thank you, Russell." She breathed a small, calming sigh. "You always know how make someone feel better."

"I learned from the best." I remarked.

Sammy sat the pink bottle back down on Hannah's desk and made a move to turn; but before she could, something else caught her eye. It was a little white card that had the design of a heart printed on it, constructed out of a variety of fancy flowers and swirls.

"Hey, wait a minute..." She narrowed her eyes inquisitively and picked the card up to get a better look. "What's this?"

I studied the new item from over her shoulder, feeling curiosity starting to bubble through my veins. " _Johan D. Smith. Tattoo artist._ " I read the words from the upper right corner out loud, right before I glanced down at the spot where Sam had found the card on Hannah's desk. "Hey, here's another one." I informed as I reached down and picked the second card up to examine it.

* * *

 **Johan D. Smith**

 **TATTOO ARTIST**

 **254 E Leeds St., Vancouver. BC. V72 9B5 555-0145**

* * *

Sam flicked her attention between both of the slightly wrinkled cards. "Hmm ... they're definitely the same. I wonder why Hannah had two of the same card. She only got one tattoo." She flipped the card over as she said her last sentence, revealing the image of an elegant black butterfly and a date. It was the tattoo that Hannah had picked out.

I turned the second card over and pursed my lips at what I saw. "Yeah..." I drawled, solving the mystery as to why there were two cards, "...and so did Scott."

The design of a dark blue lightning bolt was printed on the back of the second card, along with the same date that was marked on the first card: _March 18th, 2013_ at _9:30 A.M._ I showed my new discovery to Sam, letting her get an eyeful of the second tattoo card.

* * *

 _ **\+ CLUE FOUND - TATTOO CARDS +**_

 _ **Note:**_ **Hannah and Scott had an appointment to get tattoos. Hannah chose a butterfly design and Scott chose a lightning bolt design.**

* * *

Sammy took the second card from my hand and started studying both of them side-by-side. "Well ... that explains that." She declared.

I glanced over my shoulder, noticing something else lying on Hannah's nightstand. With Sam caught up in examining the tattoo cards, I approached the side of the middle triplet's bed and realized that it was a postcard. I picked it up and scanned my eyes across the lovely handwriting, seeing that it belonged to my girlfriend.

* * *

 _ **Hannah, Scott, Josh & Beth,**_

 _ **You are invited to**_

 _ **Sam's Halloween Party**_

 _ **October 31st, 2013**_

 _ **FANCY DRESS OBLIGATORY!**_

* * *

I grinned as a variety of fun memories from that evening came rushing back to the front of my brain. It was undoubtedly one of the best Halloween nights I'd _ever_ experienced, even though Mike and Emily couldn't stop grinding to save their lives (even when Trick-or-Treaters came up to the door) and Scott spent most of the party making out with Ashley. I still had a blast and nothing would make me ever want to forget that party ... especially since so much has changed since then.

"Hey, sweetheart. Look at what I found." I said, at which Sam placed the tattoo cards back down on Hannah's desk and strolled over to me.

I handed the invitation over to her and after reading what it said, she chuckled. "Well, would you look at that?" She then turned the postcard over, revealing the picture of a scarecrow that was prompt up in a thick cornfield with an abandoned cottage in the background. Even after two years, that image still gave me a _Children of the Corn_ vibe.

* * *

 _ **\+ CLUE FOUND - POSTCARD +**_

 _ **Note:** **An invitation for a Halloween party with a creepy picture of a scarecrow on the other side.**_

* * *

"You threw one hell of an awesome Halloween party that year." I commented, almost tasting the tombstone brownies and pumpkin spice cookies that were served back then. "Remember when Josh tried to spike the punch?"

Sam snickered again. "Yeah. He ended up tripping and almost taking a face-plant into the punch bowl instead."

I turned back around, still chuckling at the memory of Josh nearly causing a scene in front of the whole party all because he forgot to tie one of his shoes. However, when my eyes landed on another certain item that was on the opposite side of the room, my amusement vanished like it was never there. A frown tugged at the corners of my lips, but I tried to fight it off as I began to walk towards Hannah's other desk. Aside from a piggy bank, a makeup kit, a couple of stuffed animals, and some neatly arranged boxes of shoes, there was the item that had made me feel a little sick to my stomach. It was the purple music box that Josh had given to Hannah for a Christmas present five years ago. I was with him the day he picked it up, considering I still had my own Christmas shopping to do at the time.

"Speaking of Josh..." I sighed pitifully as I stared at Hannah's glossy initials that were placed in a gold heart in the middle of the music box. "I really hope he's not being too hard on himself for the disappearence of the triplets. Don't get me wrong, I know he seems really happy with all of us being back here, but ... it makes me sick to my stomach at just the thought of him having a relapse with his depression ... especially since he wasn't the reason why they ran into the woods." Slight guilt trickled through my voice as I said my last sentence, and I lifted the lid of the remarkably made box.

A soft, angelic tune instantly started floating through the air as the little built-in ballerina began twirling around. Sam was already by my side, making me realize that she must've walked up when I was caught up in thinking about how much Josh must've missed Scott, Beth, and Hannah.

"Hmmm." Sammy pouted and watched the ballerina while I silently read the words that were engraved on the polished plaque.

* * *

 _ **Happy Christmas**_

 _ **2010, sis**_

 ** _Love, Josh_**

* * *

"We'll just need to keep an eye on him, Russ. That's the best thing we can do for him while we're up on this mountain." Sam pointed out, giving my shoulder a comforting squeeze. After that, she continued her stroll across the old floorboards and entered the walk-in closet.

I hung my head and screwed my eyes shut, forcing a little bit of water to dry up. Then, after allowing another brief section of the melody to play, I lifted my head back up and quickly closed the lid of the music box, not wanting to listen to anymore. There was some unintentional force, but luckily, there was no damage done.

"Wow..." Sam sounded mesmerized, and I could tell that she was speaking to herself. "How beautiful."

I furrowed my brow, wondering what she was talking about. So, I pushed the music box to the back of my mind and approached the closet, which was wide open and sort of glowing with moonlight. I stopped in the doorway and saw Sammy standing beside the tall, magenta-streaked lamp. She was looking down at a new object in her hands - a pretty snowglobe. Its base was constructed out of sleek ebony wood and on the inside, specks of glitter was drizzling over two realistic butterflies that were relaxing on some yellow roses. Those butterflies perfectly resembled the one that was designed on the locket that I'd given Sam, customized with bright blue wings that had some black designed along the veins and edges.

"Look, Russell. I found this sitting on Hannah's windowsill." Sam shared as she carefully passed the snowglobe over to me. "It's pretty, isn't it?"

My lips molded into a sensitive smile. "Yeah, it is ... Scott got this for Hannah on their sixteenth birthday. He got Beth one as well, except hers has a horseshoe in it to symbolize her old love for horseback riding. Scott had special messages engraved on the bottom of both of them. See?" At my final word, I tilted Hannah's snowglobe just enough to expose the silver plaque that provided the message that Scott had made for her.

* * *

 _ **The time has come for you to spread your wings**_

 _ **and begin to search for who you want to be.**_

 _ **But keep in mind that no matter how far you fly,**_

 _ **I will always be there at your side.**_

 ** _Happy 16th birthday to us, Han!_**

 ** _Love you!_**

 ** _~Scott~_**

* * *

Something illuminated in Sam's eyes, but I couldn't tell if it was sorrow or admiration. "Aww. Scott always had the sweetest things to say to his sisters." She cooed. "He really did care for them and Josh."

"Yep." I popped the 'p' and held the snowglobe for a couple of more seconds, a piece of me thinking about how there was once a time in which my best friend held it. "Maybe we should just ... leave this where it originally was ... yeah, that's a good idea." I sort of mumbled that last part to myself, delicately placing Scott's gift to Hannah back on the windowsill. The glitter rained back down to the bottom of the sphere and a ray of moonlight cast through it, making it look even more beautiful.

Sammy lightly scratched her thumbnail, being careful as to not scrape off any of the paint. She looked a little guilty for poking at a sore spot of mine. Though, something else must've grabbed her attention, because after a couple of seconds, she snapped her head towards the back of the closet and said, "Hey, I see something on the floor."

"What?" I followed her gaze, confused.

"There's something lying here." Sam replied, right before I started following her further into the closet. She knelt down in front of a few cubbyholes and a wicker trash bin that was knocked over, where a torn piece of paper was lying. "Huh." Sam grabbed it and rose back up onto her feet, keeping it positioned so we could both see it.

The word "Paradise"could be made out on the ripped image of a tropical shoreline, along with the sun logo to _Hot Pick_ magazine. Although, there was something else: a heart drawn with an arrow going through it, containing the initials _MM+HW._ I emitted a low whistle at the sight of it.

"Hello - could this be any more about "Mike"?" Sam wondered.

"Looks like Hannah was blinded by her feelings for him to the point where she turned to _Hot Pick_ magazine for encouragement." I pointed out as I took the ripped piece of paper from my girlfriend and observed the doodle closer up. Then, I turned the clipping over, exposing a compatibility test that had a circle surrounding the _Mostly C's_ section.

* * *

 _ **\+ CLUE FOUND - COMPATIBILITY TEST +**_

 _ **Note: A screwed-up magazine quiz. It looks like Hannah wasn't happy with the answer she got. It's an indication of her emotional state on the night of the triplets' disappearance.**_

* * *

Sammy crinkled her nose. " _The Love Test?_ " She stared at the dark pink, blocked words with disapproval. "Those things are nothing but complete screw-ups. I'll never understand why people waste their time and money on them."

"Well, judging by how this was torn, I don't think Hannah was pleased with her results." I noted, right before I started to read the _Mostly C's_ paragraph out loud to Sam.

* * *

 ** _Mostly C's. Uh oh! This is NOT going to work! He's like a crazy reckless hunk of a man and you're staying at home working on your embroidery and practicing G Minor on the piano. Give up on it! OR do something like REALLY wild. Run away from home or get a tattoo or something. Anything to attract his precious attention. I mean - it's just for luuuurve, right? So just do it!_**

* * *

"God, I just got a _terrible_ taste in my mouth from reading that." I grumbled, almost cringing from how tacky and misleading that compatibility test was. "I mean, seriously ... 'luuuurve?' Whatever happened to just printing out the word 'love?' Whoever made this must've been tripping on acid or something."

"You know what this means?" Sam asked, keeping her disappointed glance locked on the compatibility quiz. "Hannah only got her tattoo because she wanted to try using it to impress Mike."

My eyes grew a tiny bit at the realization. "Oh, man..." I sighed. "Of course she did. It makes total sense. Remember when she picked out that skintight black dress to wear to prom in an attempt to get noticed by Munroe? Ever since middle school, it's like all she cared about was trying to get his attention ... even if that meant getting an image permanently marked on her body."

"I wish I knew why she felt like she had to do all of this in order to get noticed." Sammy said as she crossed her arms over her abdomen. "She was wonderful just by being herself. None of this was necessary for her ... it's not necessary for anyone."

"It's a real shame that she didn't see it that way." I murmured, quickly rereading the _Mostly C's_ section before I flipped the compatibility test back over and placed it where it'd been lying on the floor previously.

My girlfriend turned back around and exited the closet with me in pursuit. Though, shortly after doing so, she stopped again when she noticed something hanging on the wall. I automatically ceased in my tracks beside her, realizing that it was a corkboard that had caught her eye. It was overflowing with postcards and photographs, a majority of them revolving around horses, the gang, her family, and different holidays.

"Whoa, Scarface. Look at all of these pictures." Sam said as she leaned in a little closer to the corkboard with a light grin on her face. "So many memories."

I scanned my eyes across the sea of photos, taking in as many of them as possible.

In one picture, which looked like it was taken no more than three years ago, Hannah and Beth were carving jack-o-lanterns together at the counter in the kitchen. They had their pumpkins facing the camera, showing whoever was taking the picture their creations. Beth had perfectly carved out the words _Happy Halloween,_ while Hannah decided to slice up the neat design of a butterfly. Scott was standing between their chairs with his arms looped around both of their shoulders. His head was also resting against Beth's in a playful manner and all three of them were cackling at Josh, who had positioned himself with a spoon to make it look like he was about to devour the humongous pile of pumpkin guts.

In the photo beside that one, the entire Washington family were helping to decorate the Christmas tree together. Mrs. Washington was sprinkling gold and silver tinsel along the branches, Mr. Washington was fixing the lights, Scott was adjusting the shiny ornaments with an elf hat atop his head, Beth was wrapping the tree up in popcorn strings, and Hannah was sitting on top of Josh's shoulders to position the star at the top. The photo was also decorated with a candy cane border and the words _Happy Holidays from the Washingtons, 2014_ was printed in elegant gold letters. That was the last Christmas the triplets had before their disappearence occurred two months later...

As for another picture, Sam and Hannah were standing in front of Chelsea's in-ground pool with devious smiles molded across their lips. They were both standing back-to-back with their hands folded in front of them and positioned like guns that were pointing upwards towards the sky. Emily could also be seen relaxing on a float in the background, trying to stay clear of the water gun fight that was occurring between Chris, Josh, and Matt on the other side of the pool. Ethan was visible as well, oddly wearing a phony shark fin atop his head as he prepared to toss a beach ball over to Chelsea.

There was then a photo that I recalled from two summers ago. The image captured eight people: me, Mike, Ashley, Jessica, Sam, Hannah, Emily, and Scott. We were enjoying ourselves at a carnival during the sunset, scrunched together as closely as possible to prevent anyone from getting cut out of the shot.

Sam was in the middle of enjoying a piggyback ride from me, wearing a full-toothed grin while resting her cheek beside mine and holding a medium-sized teddy bear that I had won for her. Beside us, Ashley was holding a cone of cotton candy and giggling as she fed some to Scott, who was standing behind her with his tattoo exposed and arms connected around her waist. Then, there was Hannah, who was carrying an oversized lollipop and showing off her own tattoo with a few diamonds painted on one of her cheeks. Jess was standing beside her, their arms intertwined as she blew a kiss to whoever was taking the picture. And lastly, there was Mike and Emily, who were shamelessly fondling each other with funnel cake sugar dotted across their lips.

The next photograph was a simple closeup of Hannah, Beth, and Lucas - the _old_ Lucas, who attended school, smiled on a daily basis, and showed no signs of ever wanting to become emo. He was standing between the girls, wearing an ear-to-ear grin with genuine _delight_ twinkling in his electric blue eyes. It even looked like he was laughing, considering Hannah was making a duck face and Beth was sticking her tongue out to form a goofy smile as she crossed her eyes.

The longer I stared at these photos, the more my stomach sank. Then, as my eyes passed over a silly doodle of Josh, I saw something that stood out from the items on the corkboard due to its size. It was a sheet of paper that had the words _Party Invite_ printed on it in large letters.

"Hi there - what's this?" I inquired, tracing my finger across my new discovery so Sam could see it. " _'_ _La casa de Mike?'_... Wow, Hannah even kept her invitation to his birthday party and pinned it up."

"Dang, this is from 2013." Sam pointed out in a somewhat baffled tone. She pinched the bottom of the invitation and lifted it up, only to reveal a picture of Mike in his tux on prom night. "Gee Hannah..." She breathed, "crush much...?"

I turned my back on the corkboard, honestly a little disturbed by how much Hannah admired Mike. Although, that wasn't the reason why I had to look away. Looking at those photos might've brought back great memories, but they also triggered my depression by reminding me that moments like that would never happen again. Everything was different now ... and there was nothing that could be done to fix it. All we could do was move on with our lives, but I couldn't - at least not yet. Like I had told Chris, Scott was my best friend for thirteen years ... and now, he's more than likely deceased. I couldn't just "move on" from that.

"Babe?" Sammy glanced back at me, dropping the invitation back down. "Are you alright?"

I'd taken a seat on the edge of Hannah's bed, almost feeling guilty for sitting there. "Sam ... please be honest with me." I said with a pleading expression masking my face. "Do you think I'm crazy?"

"What? Of course not." Sam was clearly taken aback. She immediately approached the bed and sat down beside me, placing her hand on my knee. "You are _not_ crazy, Russell. _Jess_ is the crazy one." Her voice had hardened at the mention of Jessica and her eyes became serious slits. "She had absolutely no business snapping at you like that."

I turned myself on the bed a little in order to look at my feisty girlfriend, resting my head against my hand. "Believe me, I know that. And I understand that the smartest thing that has ever come out of Jess's mouth was the quarterback's tongue, but ... what if she's actually right about this?" I questioned with a disappointed glint in my eyes. "Ever since what happened last year ... it's like there's this huge, empty void inside of me. I can't ignore it, I can't hide from it. All I can do is let it devour me while I think about everything that led up to their disappearence. No matter what I do, it's _always_ on my mind ... I can't stop thinking about Beth, Hannah, and Scott to save my life."

Sam placed her hand on top of my other one and sunk her fingers between mine. "Russ ... just because you were diagnosed with depression doesn't mean you're crazy." She gently assured, looking deeply and meaningfully into my icy blue orbs. "We are all still in the process of moving on from what happened during our last trip up here. It's on all of our minds. If it wasn't, none of us would've agreed to come back this year ... and what you are going through is one hundred percent understandable. You're trying to get used to functioning without your best friend. There's nothing at all wrong with that." She gave my hand a small, reassuring squeeze. "It's not your fault."

I could feel a few tears starting to prickle up in the corners of my eyes. "But what if it is?" I demanded in a tone that was almost desperate.

Sammy hesitated for the briefest second, still looking at me with a mixture of concern and confusion swirling in her eyes. "What are you talking about?" She asked, maintaining a perfectly soft voice.

"I could've done something to stop that prank from happening." My voice was starting to become strained due to how much my throat was aching, but I continued to speak as quickly as possible to get all of this off my chest. "I could've stormed out of the guest room to warn Hannah. I could've refused to tag along in the first place and I could've told Scott that something was going on. I even had the option to jump up at anytime after Hannah entered to tell her not to believe anything that was going on, but what did I do? ... I effed up! I sat there behind the partition and watched like a baffled idiot as she was tricked to the point where she was _this_ close to removing her shirt in front of everyone." I positioned my thumb and index finger about two inches apart at the word 'this,' feeling my eyes starting to sting from the hot tears. So, I clenched them shut to force the water to lessen.

"And I'll never forget..." I went on, devastated, "that look on Hannah's face when she saw everyone, especially me ... it was total betrayal and heartbreak, Sammy. And then there was Scott ... the humorous, happy-go-lucky guy that I've known for thirteen years ... pissed off at the entire group. Not only does it bother me that the last time we ever saw them was with such awful looks on their faces, but ... everyday, I'm scared to death that Hannah probably died thinking that _I_ was in on that prank ... and my best friend probably died thinking that I wanted to humiliate his sister." I finally opened my eyes back up, feeling that they were still wet. Although, there were luckily no tears leaking down my face.

Sam, on the other hand, had a few tears slipping down her cheeks throughout my speech. When I finished, she immediately wiped them away and took both of my hands in her own, squeezing my fingers and gently caressing my knuckles with her thumbs in an attempt to console me.

"Russell, listen to me. _We_ _all_ could've done something differently that night." She spoke in a tearful tone and wore a grieving, yet comforting grin. "Mike, Jess, and Em could've heard me out when I tried talking them out of the prank ... and Ethan could've decided against forging the phony love note. Me and Lucas also could've ran faster in order to make it to the guest room in time to stop everything ... but we didn't. All of us made mistakes that night, and I'm not going to lie ... the results were devastating." A few of her tears dripped down onto our hands and she lightly sniffled. "But ... the twelve of us are still here ... and no matter what obstacles get in our way, I know for a fact that we'll make it through this. Together."

I drew in a somewhat stuffy breath. "I just wish ... I wish last year didn't end the way that it did."

Sam wrapped me up in a hug, just like I'd done to her no more than ten minutes ago, and we rested our heads on each other's shoulders. I didn't need to see her to know that more tears were streaming down her cheeks. At the same time, a single tear managed to escape from my eye and drip down my face, but I didn't hesitate to wipe it away. It was ironic ... I had told Sam that there was no reason to feel silly for crying, yet I didn't want her of all people to see me like this. I knew I was broken - my depression automatically gave that away - but I wasn't ready to admit it.

"Me, too, hon ... me, too." Sam murmured into my jacket as she rubbed my back. "Believe me though ... you are _a lot_ stronger than you give yourself credit for and Scott would be _proud_ that you're trying to get better. Moving on is never easy, but like you said ... we're strong ... we _can_ and _will_ do this."

" _The past is beyond our control..._ " I, for some reason, recalled that message that had been spewed across the map back at the Cable Car station. " _Listen to her, Russ ... you've been dwelling on what happened last year long enough. By the end of this weekend, you **will** find closure._"

A weak smile formed on my face as my girlfriend and I withdrew our arms from around each other. As if magic had been involved, the water was gone from my eyes and Sam's cheeks were no longer streaked with tears. By this point, it was easy for me to conclude that a majority of her makeup must've been waterproof. None of it was messed up, and judging by the sweet grin that was molded across her soft lips, it was insanely difficult to believe that she had just got done shedding some tears.

"Thank you, Sam ... I honestly don't know what I'd do without you." I said.

Sam gently brushed some strands of my dusty blonde hair out of my face. "Well, you don't ever have to worry about that. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." She assured as she then rested her hand against my cheek, caressing it.

I gently placed my hand on top of hers and returned the promise, "Neither am I." Then, I leaned in and lightly planted our lips together, creating a kiss that lasted about seven seconds. It would've lasted longer if the realization hadn't struck me like a bolt of lightning that we were still in Hannah's old bedroom. I didn't know how to explain it, but something about kissing in here of all areas around the lodge felt wrong and disrespectful.

"Hey, babe, I'm sorry, but ... I don't really feel comfortable about doing this in here." I said as soon as I broke myself away from the heavenly kiss.

Sam took a quick glance around the room, as if she had also forgotten where we were for a moment. "Yeah, I think we've been in here long enough. Something tells me Josh won't be so happy if he catches us in here, so we better get going." She instructed, at which we both stood up from the bed and she took the liberty to quickly smooth out some wrinkles that had formed on the comforter. Then, after she finished, she looked at me again and said, "Let's go get this whole issue with the hot water sorted out."

"Right behind you." I agreed.

She led the way and we both abandoned the bedroom, listening to the eerie sound of the house settling along the way. Then, as we made it across the loft and returned to the short, slim, dusty hallway, we could easily hear the sound of Chris, Ashley, and Josh socializing in the distance.

"Come on..." Josh grumbled, evidently still caught up in trying to light a fire.

Chris whispered next, "How long do you think it'll take him?"

"My money's on blankets for everyone!" Ashley replied with a humorous note inserted in her voice.

Sam smothered a giggle and I playfully rolled my eyes as the two of us walked back out onto the loft that hovered over the Great Room.

"You can do it, man." The dirty blonde, hawk-haired teen started impersonating the voice of an Indian chief. "We believe in you."

"Yeah! Totally! Woo!" The redhead encouraged, clapping her hands like a cheerleader. "Let's go, Jo-osh, let's go!"

"Ah-ha! Got it!" The eldest Washington whooped as some flames _finally_ started to leak across the logs. He gave himself a pat on the back, right before he spun around on his heels to face Ashley and Chris. "Alright, peanut gallery, you know what? I got an idea for you two."

Ashley was immediately interested. "What?"

My girlfriend and I were starting our way down the stairs by this point.

"Okay, well, I am pretty sure that somewhere in this crazy place we used to have ... a spirit board." Josh explained.

As soon as I heard those last two words come out of his mouth, my eyes widened to the point where I was sure that they looked too big for my head and I instinctively reached up to graze my fingertips across the bronze crucifix that was around my neck. At the same time, I noticed Sam bite down on her bottom lip and shake her head, as if she were pretending that she didn't hear that. She actually had a fear of the supernatural. I, on the other hand, didn't believe in ghosts, but I sure as hell believed in the existence of witchcraft and demons. I don't care what people say: ghosts and demons would _never_ be the same thing to me.

"A what?" Ashley questioned.

Chris sounded fascinated. "Wow you have a 'spirit board'?"

Josh chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. They're fun, right?"

The first thought that instantly came to my mind when he said that was, " _Oh, hell no._ "

The young lady with auburn hair battered her eyes in confusion. "Wait, are you saying ... we should have a seance?" She asked.

Sammy and I finally made it down the stairs, but I could tell that neither of us were planning to engage in this whole "Ouija board" conversation.

Chris shook his head at the oldest Washington. "Those things are a joke man." He declared with a dismissive wave. "They don't do shit."

"No way, bro. We used to do it all the time. Me and..." Josh paused, and for a split second, I could've sworn that I saw a spark of hurt shoot across his eyes, "well..."

"Hey, Josh." Sam spoke up as we approached our three friends, causing them to look at us. "No hot water's kinda major oversight doncha think...?"

Our host snickered at her and nodded. "Yeah, yeah. You just gotta fire up the boiler. It's in the basement." He informed, pointing in the direction of the staircase that descended down to the ground floor.

Just then, as a relieved smile crossed over Sammy's face, the sound of a groan came from one of the corridors. The five of us didn't think twice before turning our heads in the direction of the noise, only to see Lucas appear from around the corner and begin walking over to us with aggravation glowing in his eyes. He was still wearing his aviator jacket and holding it around him like his life depended on it. His iPod was also advertising the cover of the song _Silent Scream_ by **Anna Blue** , giving it away that he was in the middle of listening to that with only one earbud. The other one was hanging out and lying down his shoulder.

"Lucas?" Ashley spoke first, noticeably confused. "What are you doing out here? I thought you said you were going to take a nap."

"I've been trying, but this place is so damn cold! Even that fire I started back in the guest room is doing a shitty job at warming me up!" Lucas hissed, shivering just a tiny bit. "I tried _everything_ to get myself to fall asleep. I drank some water, read a little bit of _Hell's Circus_ by Anarchist's Rose on FanFiction, listened to God knows how many songs on my iPod ... I swear, a _polar bear_ wouldn't be able to sleep in these conditions!"

Sam and I exchanged glances, the looks on our faces giving it away that we both agreed that Lucas got pretty cranky when he couldn't rest when he wanted to. Ashley, on the other hand, was twirling her thumbs in slight embarrassment as she stared at her older cousin.

Chris straightened his lips and rubbed the back of his neck as he muttered, "Yikes..."

The emo teen sighed heavily, placing his unoccupied hand on his hip. "I'm going to need some extra blankets, dude." He said to the eldest Washington, who nodded.

"Right, sorry about that. There's some that's been packed away in the basement. Lucky for you, I'm about to head down there to fire up the boiler." Josh said. "So, if you want, you can come down with me to get them."

Lucas shrugged, a blank look on his face. "Fine by me, I guess. I ain't got nothing better to do anyway."

"Groovy!" Josh whooped, right before he glanced back at his best friend and the redhead. "Alright, you guys see if you can find the spirit board."

Ashley turned to Chris like an excited child on Christmas morning. "Chris, let's go find it! It'll be like a scavenger hunt!" She said as she started trotting over to the foyer's entrance.

Chris reluctantly stood up from where he'd been sitting on the coffee table and shrugged. "Ummm... okay... guess so." He murmured, pursuing after his crush.

"Rad. You're not gonna regret it." Josh assured with a grin. He then locked his attention back on me and Sam. "You guys up for a ride-along?"

My girlfriend smiled, which was all that was needed to know that she was on board. However, I didn't hesitate to hold my hands up to my shoulders and take a couple of steps back from the three other teenagers. For as long as I could remember, I've always had a phobia of basements and pitch-black hallways. I would always get paranoid that there was something or someone hiding in the shadows, watching and waiting to attack me. Til' this day, I refuse to step foot into a basement unless it's one hundred percent necessary, and the entire gang knew that. After all, we were all afraid of something.

"Sorry, Josh, but me and large basements don't mix." I reminded, giving my girlfriend a quick peck on the cheek. "You three go on without me, okay? I'll just wait here where there's a nice, toasty fire."

"Alright, Scarface. You do you." Josh said, nodding. He then glanced back at Sam and Lucas, gesturing for them to follow him. "As for you two, come on."

The three of them started heading to the back of the Great Room, where the stairwell that led down to the first floor was located. While they did that, I took a seat on one of the bottom steps of the living room's main staircase and decided to use this time to examine the photos that I'd taken during mine and Sammy's hike. So, I unzipped the little black bag that was still around me and pulled out my camera.

* * *

 **Sam's POV**

Lucas fiddled around with his playlist as we followed Josh, eventually settling on some sort of Rock and Roll song that I was unfamiliar with; but it was loud enough to the point where I could hear almost all of the lyrics. I stuck close to his side as we traveled down the stairs, wanting to make sure that he wouldn't accidentally trip from being so invested in his device. He looked incredibly bored, tired, and not in the mood for small talk, so I didn't bother trying to start up a conversation with him. Aside from the sounds of our footsteps tapping against the wooden steps and the icy gusts of wind whistling outside, there was nothing but complete silence.

When we made it down to the ground floor, Lucas silently slumped back against the railing and crossed his unoccupied arm over his stomach while Josh approached this dusty, mahogany table that was against the wall. He pulled open one of the drawers and retrieved a bright yellow flashlight, right before he turned back around to face me and Ashley's cousin.

"Hey. You guys notice how I gave Chris and Ash a mission _together?_ " Josh asked, flashing a cheeky grin. "Yeah, I was thinking they could use some 'alone time.'"

Lucas rolled his eyes and quietly scoffed, but didn't bother to respond. He was never the type of person to adore romance, so his reaction wasn't much of a surprise. Although, I had to admit that even though I wanted nothing more than for Ashley and Chris to stop tiptoeing around each other and just confess their feelings, there was this tiny piece of me that couldn't shake the thought of how Josh was trying to hook Chris up with his little brother's ex. To be fair, it _has_ been a year since the disappearence and Scott wouldn't have wanted Ashley to never date again. Plus, Chris was a good guy and they both deserved to have a special someone in their lives.

* * *

 _ **X Mocking (Chris needs to go for it!)/Flattering (They are sweet together.) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Flattering**_

* * *

"They are _very_ sweet together." I said sweetly, at which Lucas started walking over to the same table that Josh had previously been at. "I wish they'd just freakin' get on with it already."

As I said that last part, I took a quick glimpse over Josh's shoulder to see what Luke was up to. I noticed him grab something that was lying on the table and lift it up to examine it, but I couldn't see what it was due to him holding it so close to his body. I would've approached him to see what had grabbed his attention, but I didn't want to be rude to Josh by just cutting off our conversation.

Josh snickered, completely oblivious to whatever Lucas was doing. "I swear, they just need like ... something to bond over, y'know? Some sort of traumatic event to send them into each other's arms." He watched as I nodded along with his words to let him know that I was listening. "I mean, at this rate, they'll be in the geriatric ward before Chris makes a move."

I chuckled at that mental picture, truly amused by it. Then, as Josh began his way over to the basement door, I decided that it was now or never. I strolled over to Lucas with a kind grin on my face and noticed when I got close enough that the item that he was holding was an unframed photo. He was staring at it with no direct emotion on his face, eyelids half closed like he didn't care about anything but getting these extra blankets. Despite how much Ashley's cousin had changed, I still believed that the old him was somewhere in there.

"Hey, Lucas. What's that you got there?" I asked as I gestured to the picture.

He didn't even look at me, making it easy to believe he was caught up in thinking about something. There was a faint moment of hesitation before Lucas then handed the photo over to me and grumbled, "See for yourself." After that, he didn't bother sticking around to see my reaction ... but I could've sworn that I detected some hurt and disappointment hidden away in his voice.

"Can we maybe pick up the pace with this little quest to the basement, Josh?" Lucas requested, sounding dull again. "I _really_ need that nap after driving me and Ash all the way up here on my motorcycle."

"Don't worry, Luke. I'm getting the door unlocked now." Josh promised as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a key.

I finally decided to look down at the photograph ... and as soon as I did, memories flooded my mind like a tsunami. There were four people in the picture: the Washington siblings. They were gathered together on the beach, wearing joyful smiles. Josh had one of his arms looped around Scott's shoulders and his other arm wrapped around Beth's shoulders. As for Scott, he had his own arm swung around Hannah's shoulders and she was holding his wrist as he signed peace with his other hand. Their tattoos were completely visible, too.

I remembered this photo because I was the one who had taken it for them. The corners of my lips twitched, forming a small pout as I then turned the picture over to reveal a neatly written message.

* * *

 ** _\+ CLUE FOUND - BEACH PHOTO +_**

 ** _Note:_** _ **A photo of Scott, Josh, Hannah, and Beth on the beach. It was taken the summer before they disappeared.**_

* * *

 _**Aug '13 - Cape Cod**_

 _ **Josh + Scott with their lovely sisters,**_

 _ **Hannah + Beth.**_

 _ **looking great, guys!**_

 _ **08'16'13.**_

* * *

A quiet sigh escaped from my mouth as I placed the photograph back down on the table. Then, at the sound of the basement door being unlocked, I forced the frown off my face and tried placing the memories back in storage.

" _Come on, Sam. It's time to move on from the past. Hannah, Beth, and Scott wouldn't want you dwelling on them like this._ " I told myself in my mind as I turned to face the door that was embedded in the stone wall. While doing this, I had to use plenty of my willpower to not peek back over at the photo.

Josh flicked the flashlight on and waited for me in the short hallway that led down to the first flight of stairs. Lucas, on the other hand, didn't want to risk wasting anymore time. He began strolling ahead, keeping his eyes glued on his iPod the entire time. Something was definitely on his mind, but it was obvious that he wasn't going to talk about it with anyone anytime soon.

"You know, Sam..." Josh said whence I made it to the doorway.

"Yes, Josh?"

He turned away and started escorting me down the hall. We passed by a couple of chairs, lamps, and other pieces of furniture that had been covered up with sheets. Up ahead, Lucas puffed his raven-colored bangs out of his face and curved down the right hall, where the stairs were located.

"I just wanted to say..." Josh continued, glancing back at me from over his shoulder.

"What...?" I asked with slight curiosity tainting my voice.

Josh took a couple of more steps before he stopped and turned around to make eye contact with me.

"It really means a lot to me that everyone came back this year," he shared, "and, you know, that ... you came, Sam."

A soft smile formed on my face. As optimistic and goofy as Josh was, he really was the type of person who worried about his friends. Plus, after the triplets vanished, our friendship had grown a lot stronger due to how he would come to me the most to open up about how much he missed them. He knew how close Hannah and I had been, considering we were best friends, and I guess that's why he brought up how he was really glad that I agreed to return to the mountain this year. It was _really_ sweet of him to care...

* * *

 _ **X Uneasy (It's weird to be back.)/Reassuring (We're here for you.) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Uneasy**_

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Sam's Character Traits: Honest +1 (8/10)**

* * *

... but the last thing I wanted to do was walk on eggshells. It was clear that Josh had arranged this whole trip in order to help himself, along with the rest of the group, move on from what happened last year. As much as I did believe that we were all going to have fun this weekend, I didn't want to just tiptoe around the main reason why we all came back in the first place. In order to find closure, acknowledging the past was a necessity.

"I'll ... I'll be honest," I started sincerely, "it's ... _definitely_ weird being back here, but I think it'll help us all put everything behind us."

Josh looked down at the floor and faintly nodded. "Speaking of putting everything behind us ... how's Russ been handling all of this?" He asked, staring at me again with concerned eyes. "I've tried calling him over this past year, but he never picked up. I also sent him a text back in October and all he responded with was ' _Busy right now. Talk later.'_ But ... he never did get back to me."

I sighed, shaking my head. "Please don't take offense to any of that, Josh. I know Russell and he wouldn't ever do stuff like that to be mean. He's just ... juggling a lot of stuff right now." I said as I slid my hands into the pockets of my leather jacket. "But to answer your question, he's slowly getting better. He still struggles with nightmares, but he's taking his medication, keeping on top of therapy, and starting to fall asleep a lot easier. Progress is being made ... it's just going to take some time before he's fully recovered."

"Well, it's good to know that he's still putting up a fight. I just wanted to make sure that he was doing okay since ... since he and Scott used to be so close." Josh sounded a little disappointed at the mention of his younger brother, but he still put on a small smile. "Um ... I want us to have a good time, you know..."

I withdrew my hands from my pockets and followed him through the next doorway, where we arrived at the first set of stairs. Lucas was waiting at the bottom, positioned in a squat with his back resting against the wall. He was gnawing on the end of an unlit cigarette and an impatient glint was in his eyes. At the sight of me and Josh, he rose back up onto his feet and removed the cigarette from his mouth, returning it to his pocket.

" _There_ you guys are." Lucas groaned, making it sound like he'd been waiting for centuries. "It's about freakin' time. I was starting to think that you two ditched me. Look, my toes feel like they're frozen solid, so can we _please_ hurry this up?"

Josh breathed a small laugh. "Yeah, man. Sorry for the wait."

With a huff, Lucas dropped his attention down to his iPod and fiddled around with it. Then, after he settled on some song that had a creepy melody and slid the device back into his pocket, he quietly grumbled, "It's fine. Just come on."

Josh started walking down the old concrete staircase, shining the flashlight in front of us. I followed a few steps after him, while Lucas continued to wait where he was.

"Hey, watch your step." Josh cautioned as he stepped down a damaged stair.

"I think I can handle a little old set of stairs." I teased, just now noticing how easy it was for pretty much every little sound to echo down here.

The host playfully rolled his eyes and turned to go down the second staircase. "Mm-hm." He mumbled, unconvinced.

After I made it down the first set of stairs, Lucas started walking alongside me again. We then descended down the second staircase, listening to our shoes tap against the concrete with every step we took. After we made it to the bottom, we followed Josh down a long, dimly lit corridor and Lucas crinkled his nose in disgust as he stepped over a few rat droppings and a single mousetrap that had a piece of moldy cheese positioned on it.

"Damn rodents..." I heard him mutter, evidently referring to the rats. "They're disgusting ... such vile creatures..."

By this point, we had arrived in the main room of the basement. It was _huge,_ overflowing with dozens of shelves and built-in wall compartments that were cluttered with sealed boxes, gardening supplies, old cleaning equipment, items relating to the Washington siblings' childhood years, and the list could go on for miles. The floor was also a little wet due to some leakage from a couple of aging pipes.

Luke placed his hands on his hips as he and I both ceased in our tracks, watching our host as he opened the squeaky metal cabinet that contained the boiler.

"Sorry to drag you guys down into the bowels." Josh apologized, leaning in to get a better look at the machine.

A blissful smile formed on my face as I exhaled. "Just get me some hot water and I'll be _super-fine._ "

"Same here with those extra blankets." Lucas assured as he gazed around in every possible direction for the blankets.

Josh pointed the flashlight inside the cabinet. "I mean, I wouldn't want either of you coming down here on your own, you know?"

"Well, it's ... definitely creepy down here." I commented, starting to feel slightly unsettled. It was almost like ... someone was watching us.

"And not to mention gigantic." Luke incorporated. "Seriously, this part of the lodge alone can be mistaken for a maze."

"Yep." Popping the 'p,' Josh sauntered past the two of us and over to the switch compartment. "Not a place to be on your own."

Lucas arched an eyebrow at his last sentence and exchanged glances with me. Though, instead of saying anything, he gave a vague shrug after a few seconds and started to examine a couple of the shelves behind us for the blankets. Then, as he began to move aside a few SpongeBob sand pails and some old-fashioned baskets that were filled with knitting supplies, something beside the boiler caught my attention. When I approached it, I realized that it was a wooden baseball bat.

I picked it up and got a good grip on it, automatically knowing that it must've belonged to Josh.

* * *

 _ **X Serious (Is it yours?)/**_ ** _Humorous (Baseball in the snow?) X_**

 ** _Choice Chosen: Humorous_**

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Josh's Relationship Status: Sam -1 (5/10)**

* * *

Courtesy of our eerie surroundings, I decided to get a little playful to help lessen the creepiness. So, I turned to Josh and positioned the bat in my hands like I was getting ready to hit a Home Run.

"Be pretty rough playing baseball out in all that snow." I joked, causing both Lucas and Josh to lock their eyes on me.

Josh let out a vague snicker and took the baseball bat from me. "No, it wasn't on the winter, silly. I mean, we'd come up in the summer and we would have the _best_ time - the whole family was there. Mom, Dad..." He paused, suddenly looking at the wooden object like he didn't deserve to be holding it, "my brother and sisters ... It was some serious competition out there in the big lawn." His voice had become deflated and his eyes became misty with memories as he cut another glance at the bat. "I don't know. Can't go back ... new reality. Right, Sam and Luke?"

As he said that last part, he placed the bat away in a box.

* * *

 _ **..BUTTERFLY EFFECT UPDATE..**_

 _ **(Something for Later) -**_ **Sam found a baseball bat and left it in the cellar; Lucas noticed the whereabouts of the baseball bat...**

* * *

I started fiddling around with my nails as a wave of guilt crashed inside of me. At the same time, Lucas pursed his lips and shot me a look from the corner of his eye before he silently continued to search for the blankets. Maybe it wasn't the best idea for me to be humorous like that when dealing with an object that had such a meaningful backstory to Josh. It was a mistake on my part, even though I truly didn't know that the baseball bat meant _that much_ to him.

"Anyway, I'm supposed to be fixing this old guy, right?" Josh reminded as he walked back over to the switch compartment and pointed the flashlight at it. He then grabbed one of the switches and flipped it a couple of times, only to be given no sign of a response.

"Ah-ha! Found them." Lucas blurted out all of the sudden. He pulled a topless, rectangular box that was full of thick, beautifully woven, checkered quilts off from one of the high shelves and held it by the holes that were created in the sides for fingers to slip through. "Finally..." He huffed as he looked down at the blankets.

"Great job, Luke! I told you they were down here." Josh praised, right before he went back to focusing on the machinery that was in front of him. He walked back over to the boiler cabinet and held the flashlight out to me. "Here, can you ... can you hold this?" He asked.

I obeyed, taking our main source of light from him. Then, as Josh started leaning over to get a closer look of the water heater ... there was this noise. It echoed unexpectedly through the dusty air, sounding almost like ... quick and heavy footsteps.

"What was that?" I questioned, immediately pointing the flashlight in the direction in which the noise had bounced off from.

"What was what?" Josh asked, sounding nowhere near cautious or freaked out.

Lucas scoffed as he stared down the same direction as me, eyes narrowed and alert. "Josh, come on. You couldn't have _not_ just heard that." He rebuked. "It was audible as hell."

Our host straightened himself back up and shrugged. "Look, guys, I wouldn't put too much thought into it if I were you. Something just probably fell over. This whole basement is cluttered with junk. It happens all the time."

There was a brief pause in the conversation before Lucas shook his head a little and said watchfully, "I don't know, Washington ... that didn't sound like something falling over to me."

Josh chuckled and gave Luke a gentle punch on the shoulder. "You're letting your imagination get the best of you. Sounds like somebody's been watching too many of my dad's horror movies lately." He teased, causing Lucas to shoot him a bland and unamused stare. "Relax, I bet there's nothing to worry about. Now, Lucas, you've seen Chelsea fix up your motorcycle before, right?"

The emo teen raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Yeah, why?"

"Because we all know how much of a star my sexy lady is with machinery. But since she's not here right now, you're the best person there is to give me a hand with this water heater." Josh explained, putting on a risque grin when he addressed Chelsea as his 'sexy lady.' "So, what do you say, dude? Will you help me out?"

* * *

 _ **..BUTTERFLY EFFECT UPDATE..**_

 _ **(Masters or Amateurs?) -**_ **Russell's special skill is sharpshooting; Lucas's special skill is stealth; Chelsea's special skill is engineering...**

* * *

 _ **(LUCAS CHOICE)**_

 ** _X Agree (Sure.)/Disagree (Hell no.) X_**

 ** _Choice Chosen: Agree_**

* * *

Lucas exhaled and sat the box of blankets down on the floor as he replied, "Sure, let's just get this over with."

"Rad." Josh said. He then gave my arm a small nudge to gain my attention. "Just shine it here so we can see what we're doing."

I reluctantly glanced back at the machine and shined the light inside, causing it to illuminate against a variety of switches and buttons. Josh and Lucas reached both of their hands inside, not seeming to need to speak to understand what the other was doing. Lucas worked on some of the higher switches while Josh fiddled with pieces closer to the bottom. The entire time, I tried to hold the flashlight as steady as possible...

* * *

 **DON'T MOVE**

* * *

... but, for a brief moment, my paranoia got the best of me and I pointed the light away. It _still_ felt like there was somebody else down here, wandering around and observing our every move. Maybe it was a result of how Russell and I felt like we were being stalked on our way to the Cable Car station. Either way, the basement was still giving me the heebie jeebies. The beam from the flashlight gleamed against a few abandoned pieces of furniture, not capturing anything out of the ordinary.

I mentally spoke to myself, " _Okay, Sammy, you're just freaking yourself out. There's nothing to be scared of in this lodge._ "

"Hey..." Josh's voice snapped me out of my thoughts as he and Lucas squinted at the boiler. "Can you just keep the light so we can see, okay?"

"Right, sorry." I apologized, right before I directed the flashlight back inside the dark cabinet. This time, I kept my hand perfectly still and watched as my two friends worked on the machine.

* * *

 **DON'T MOVE**

* * *

About another ten seconds went by before Lucas straightened himself up and dusted his hands off. "Alright, that's all set. We're a step closer to getting hot water." He noted as he retrieved the box of quilts from the floor.

"Nice one." Josh said, congratulating him. Then, after taking a step back from the boiler, he directed his words to me. "Okay, first things first: we gotta increase the water pressure before we get the boiler fired up."

I walked up to the switch compartment, straightening my lips. "Mmm, sounds kinda complicated."

"No, it's actually pretty simple." Josh assured.

He returned to the boiler cabinet while I shined the light against the variety of controls. I could feel him and Lucas watching me as I reached up and grabbed the red knob. I didn't have the slightest idea how these types of things worked, so I was feeling pretty thankful for the _On_ and _Off_ labels that were printed around the knob. I turned it, causing the machine to roar. I winced slightly at the loud noise and watched as the little red needle started rising, but I didn't know what exactly to do next. So, I hit the white button, unaware that the machine would stop grumbling and the needle would fall back down.

"Damn!" I cursed, right before I sighed and looked over at my two friends for support.

Luke had just got done choosing another song from his playlist, so he wasn't fully paying attention. He pocketed his device again and looked at me with no direct emotion on his face.

"It's okay, just try again." Josh instructed.

I pointed the flashlight back at the switch compartment and gave the same knob another turn. This time, as the ferocious growl of the machine returned, I decided to wait a few seconds before pressing the white button again. However, despite how the small needle had made it further around than my previous attempt, it still dropped back down to where it started and the machine fell silent for a second time.

"Ugh!" I groaned, evidently irritated.

"Oh, for crying out loud, Sam! _Relax._ " Lucas ordered with an unimpressed roll of his eyes. "It's not as hard as you're making it out to be. You see that little light? Just press the button when it comes on."

I nodded, hoping there wasn't any embarrassment shown on my face. "Alright, I'll get it this time." I promised as I returned the flashlight to the switch compartment. "Like the saying says ... third times the charm."

"You got this, Sammy." Josh encouraged, giving me a quick thumbs up.

For the final time, I grabbed the knob and turned it. Then, with the machine rumbling once again, I hovered my hand over the white button and watched the needle as it moved. When it was positioned in a vertical line, the light flickered on with a small _buzz_ and I didn't hesitate to slam my hand against the button. At last, the task was done. The light turned green and the boiler made an even louder sound, giving it away that I had finally accomplished my job.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed, jumping back a little in surprise.

Lucas suddenly snapped his head in the direction of a few shelves that were built into the wall. He peeked through one of the gaps that provided a view of the other side of the basement and I could've sworn that I heard him mutter in a confused tone, "What the hell...?"

"That's more like it. Alright! Five, girl!" Josh cheered as he held his hand up, in which I gladly gave him a high-five. "Yeah!"

He then turned to look at Ashley's cousin and said, "You, too, Luke! Come on! High-five!" However, when he held his hand up in the hopes of receiving another high-five, Lucas didn't even seem like he acknowledged what our host had just said. He was still caught up in staring through the gap, causing Josh to look at his hand as if he were checking to see if something was on it. Then, without getting a second high-five, he dropped his arm back down to his side.

"Hey, man, you okay?" Josh asked.

Lucas squinted in thought. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just..." His voice was both serious and confused as he glanced back at me and our host. "I thought I saw something from the corner of my eye."

"What do you mean?" I inquired, pointing the flashlight at him. It gleamed a little against his silver lip piercings.

"It looked almost like ... somebody ran by on the other side of the wall." Luke replied with the box of blankets tucked underneath his arm like a football.

Josh buzzed his lips, sounding amused. "Don't be silly, Lucas. There's nobody down here except for me, you, and Sam. Your eyes must be playing tricks on you." He walked back over to the boiler cabinet and secured it shut with a loud _clank,_ oblivious to the annoyed daggers that Luke was piercing him with.

Suddenly, as Josh and Lucas began to approach me so the three of us could head back upstairs, there was this insanely weird noise that made them freeze in their tracks. It sounded like a low growl that was coming from somewhere in the ceiling, causing me to immediately spin around and point the flashlight at a couple of the high panels, barriers, and pipes. Of course, there was nothing there.

I turned back around to face Josh, noticing that Lucas was also looking up at the ceiling with uncertain eyes. "What the hell is that...?" I asked our host, feeling an unsettled gaze forming on my face at that very moment.

"Could be a lot of things..." Josh answered. He slyly ran five fingers up my arm and his other five up Luke's arm. "...and none of them nice."

I instantly spun back around, just as the emo teen sharply jerked his arm away. "Hey, quit it." I ordered.

"Seriously, Washington, that's _not_ funny." Lucas sneered, nowhere near amused by our older friend's antics.

Josh chuckled, flicking his gaze back and forth between us. "I'm just ... just 'Joshing' ya." He joked with a friendly smile.

"Har har." I hung my arms and sarcastically laughed, while Lucas pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned at the incredibly corny pun.

"Well, let's not be silly, Sam. There's a possibility that our ears could be playing tricks on us." Luke commented in a sarcastic, dry tone.

Josh looked very entertained. "You guys were really freaked out."

Lucas bitterly scoffed, but didn't bother to say anything back. It took _a lot_ to terrify him and everyone in the group knew that.

At that moment, there were two sides of me. One side was stubborn, wanting me to defend myself by saying that I wasn't afraid. Then, there was my teasing side that wanted nothing more than to get revenge on Josh in order to prove that he was just as unsettled in this basement as I was. I knew that I had to make decision.

* * *

 _ **X Protest (I wasn't scared.)/Prank (Something behind you.) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Prank**_

* * *

I purposely leaned to the side and pretended to look through the space that was between my two friends, deciding to settle on a harmless prank. It was one of the oldest tricks in the book, considering I was pretty horrible when it came to practical jokes, and I didn't even know if it would work; but I was definitely willing to try.

"Oh my God-" I whispered, focusing back on Josh with fake caution in my eyes. "Don't move-"

"What-?" He asked confusedly.

I stiffened a little to make the act more realistic. "Something behind you..."

"Yeah, right." Josh revoked, even though he refused to move a muscle.

I noticed that Lucas was looking at me with a cocked eyebrow, as if I had just attempted walking through a wall. He took a small glance behind him and for a second, I thought that he was going to ruin the prank; but then ... he actually _went along with it._ He expanded his eyes and took a couple of slow steps back so he was by my side, making it seem like he had just seen something that stunned him. Josh stared at him, starting to look a tiny bit uneasy.

"Holy..." Luke mumbled, finishing that statement with an F-bomb.

"Guys, come on..." Josh faintly shook his head at us. "You're not fooling me."

He really could smell a prank from a mile away...

* * *

 _ **X Gloat (Gotcha!)/Insist (No ... seriously...) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Insist**_

* * *

...but I wasn't giving up that easy.

I stared directly into his milky green eyes, using as much willpower as possible to prevent myself from grinning. "Josh ... seriously..." I insisted, increasing my phony concern. "There's something back there."

"And whatever it is," Ashley's cousin incorporated, "it's looking right at you, dude."

That did it. Within just a couple of more seconds, Josh glanced over his shoulder to see the nonexistent threat and I broke out into laughter. Even Lucas had a very slight, satisfied smirk curled up on one of the corners of his mouth. Our host turned back to us, realizing he had just been punked.

"Ha ... Got-ch-ah." I chuckled as I gave Josh's arm a light, playful shove.

"Alright. Alright. Your point." He said, smiling.

I pointed at him and declared, "Thirty - Love."

In less than a second, confusion appeared on both of my friends' faces. Lucas rested his unoccupied hand on his hip and squinted at me like I was the dumbest person on the entire planet, while Josh's grin slightly faltered.

"What? No..." Josh said, shaking his head at me. "Where'd you get the first point?"

I continued to smile, despite how I felt slight embarrassment starting to trickle through my body. "It doesn't start at thirty?" I questioned.

"No. Fifteen." Lucas and Josh answered simultaneously, but their tones were different. Josh was giving me a simple correction, while Luke made it sound like everyone in all of existence should've known the rules of tennis.

"Oh. Well, I'm more of a ping-pong gal." I stated.

The emo teen swiveled himself around a little more, eyes still squinted. "Sam, you suck at ping-pong." He bluntly pointed out.

"True, but at least I know more about it than tennis." I retaliated with a good-natured grin.

Josh snickered at us ... but the amusement within our little triangle vanished at another unexpected sound. It was like something was harshly banging on the wall or possibly even the ceiling, coming from somewhere in the distance. Me and Lucas quickly turned our heads in the direction it was coming from, while Josh knitted his eyebrows together in concern.

"Okay, so you guys hear that too, right?" I asked with genuine caution dripping from my words.

"Oh, I ... definitely heard that." Lucas replied, still looking down past the single brick pillar that was, for some reason, in the direct center of the basement.

When our host didn't respond, I turned to look at him. "Josh...?" I said as he slowly walked between me and Ashley's cousin, listening to the rough noise.

"What?" Josh said, then beginning to walk further ahead.

I jumped a little and looked in every possible direction as the volume of the banging increased some. "The rhythm's like, weirdly regular..." I pointed out.

Josh shook his head. "Not ... no... nothing 'regular' about it..." The uncertainty in his voice gave it away that this sound hadn't ever occurred before.

"Well, whatever it is, it sounds like it's coming from down there." Lucas noted as he pointed down in the direction of another poorly lit corridor.

* * *

 _ **X Concerned (We should check it out.)/Heroic (I'll check it out.) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Heroic**_

* * *

At that moment, despite how spooky it was down here, I couldn't fight my curiosity. The last thing I wanted to risk was letting this place blow up due to a pipe that was about to burst or something among those lines, all because the three of us didn't want to check this weird noise out. To ensure our safety, along with the rest of the group's, I sure as hell was willing to do it.

"I'm gonna go check it out." I said, taking my first few steps away from my friends.

Josh immediately turned to look at me, surprised. "What? Why?" He inquired, almost sounding scared.

I chuckled and looked back at him. "What do you care, fraidyface?"

"No, i-it's probably just, like ... not anything." It was obvious that Josh was trying to keep me from going back there, but I knew that somebody had to do this.

"Why don't you hold down the fort while I make sure?" I instructed in a teasing tone as I continued to pursue ahead.

Josh quietly huffed in defeat. "Okay, whatever you say, madam."

I turned around to face the direction where the banging was coming from, only to have my arm grabbed by Lucas. "Hold on a minute there, Giddings." He spoke up, causing me to look at him. "If you're _really_ so keen on getting to the bottom of whatever the hell is making this noise, I'm coming with you."

I blinked, confused. "Why?"

The emo teen stared at me with a sullen look on his pale face. "Because I'm a damn gentleman." He replied sarcastically, and then switched over to a serious tone. "Why do you think? We don't know what's causing that banging and hell will freeze over the moment I let one of my friends risk their safety like a total nimrod. So, like it or not, I'm not letting you go alone."

Believe it or not, I was actually _glad_ to hear Luke say something like that. He might have not worded it in such a heart-touching manner, but it was clear that he wanted to make sure that I was safe. The old Lucas always wanted to protect females, especially in mysterious or risky situations. So, even though he technically just called me a nimrod, it was nice to know that this new emo version of him still wanted to look out for girls. That gave me even more hope that the old Lucas was buried in there somewhere ... you know, underneath all of that black clothing, eyeliner, and hair dye.

"Alright, Luke. If you _really_ insist on accompanying me, then let's go." I said, in which he started walking with me towards the dimly lit hall with the box of quilts still tucked underneath his arm.

"I still think it's probably nothing!" Josh called to us from where he was still standing beside the pillar.

Lucas turned around, now walking backwards. "Well, we'll never know for sure unless we check it out, right? Just wait there, dude. This won't take long." He then spun back around and continued walking the correct way.

I could feel Josh's eyes watching us as we started strolling side-by-side down the corridor. By this point, the sound of our shoes clicking against the floor was inaudible due to how much louder the banging had become. Luke was always one step ahead of me, keeping his unoccupied arm positioned slightly outward in order to prevent me from stepping past him. I shined the flashlight straight ahead, where it hit against the solid brick wall, a few pipes, and a single rat that was in the middle of cleaning its face.

"What do you think it is?" I questioned, still taking cautious steps.

"How should I know?" Luke inquired. "If I _did_ know, I highly doubt either of us would be going on this little adventure right now."

I rolled my eyes to myself, even though he made a pretty good point. "Well, whatever it is, it sounds like it's coming from around this co-"

Before I could finish my sentence, Lucas and I both jerked to a violent stop when an unknown figure jumped out at us from around the corner. They were wearing some type of worn out and creepy monk costume, along with a hockey mask to hide their face. The first thing that came to my mind was Ghostface from the horror film _Scream,_ especially when the figure hollered out, "BOO!"

In less than a second, terror electrocuted through my body, I became as white as a sheet, and a scream burst out of my mouth. At the same time, Lucas's eyes shot so huge to the point where I was surprised that they weren't bulging out of his skull.

"SHIT! RUN!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, just as we took off at the speed of lightning back down the corridor. Josh was leading the way, shock exposed all over his face as he took a quick glance over his shoulder and saw that the masked man or woman was chasing after us.

"Whoa - Sam, Luke - whoa!" Josh proclaimed, almost tripping over his own feet as he charged down the first hall that we had walked down earlier.

Our feet pounded against the solid, damp floor and I let out another scared shriek as I pulled something down to act as an obstacle. As soon as I did, my eyes widened from remembering that Lucas was running behind me. For the briefest moment, as Josh dashed around the corner, I froze in my tracks and looked back in time to see Lucas easily leap over the item that I had yanked down.

"GO! GO!" He ordered, just as the masked figure toppled over the object with a grunt.

I didn't think twice before listening, still screaming between every couple of steps in the hopes of alerting Ashley and Russell. However, these walls were so strong to the point where I knew that no sound could pass through them. Screaming was hopeless, but I still did it.

Lucas, Josh, and I raced up the first set of stairs, breathing heavily. Then, after we made it up the second staircase, I practically threw myself at the door and grabbed the knob with a fierce grip. My heart felt like it was in my throat as I tried turning the knob while ramming my shoulder against the huge door. While I did this, Lucas banged his unoccupied fist against the door and Josh pushed a little on my side, as if that would help get the door to open.

"DAMMIT!" Lucas hollered. "ASH! RUSS!"

"Oh come ON now why are these doors locked?!" I bellowed, still hitting myself against the mahogany door.

Josh turned to face the stairwell. "To keep out strangers!"

Luke stopped banging on the door and dropped the box of blankets, positioning himself in front of me. He held up both of his fists, prepared to fight as the unknown figure appeared at the top of the stairs. Although, instead of pulling out a knife or a gun or something, the unidentified person did something unexpected.

"Hey..." It spoke in a _very_ familiar voice, causing Lucas's battle stance to falter.

I was in the process of regaining my breath. "...What?"

"Heeyyyyyy..." The figure repeated itself, moving their arms in a weird motion.

"...WHAT THE HELL?!" I sneered.

"Boom!" The figure then removed their hood ... revealing that they were Chris. "You just got monked!"

Lucas's face instantly hardened into a venomous scowl and his lips peeled back, exposing his tightly clenched teeth. Josh, on the other hand, broke out into an impressed grin as he stared at his best friend.

"WHAT?!" I shouted in disbelief as I stepped out from behind Ashley's cousin.

"Nice." Josh chuckled, nodding his head in approval. "Nice one. That was good."

Luke snapped his attention over to our host, literally looking like he was about to have steam pour out of his ears. "Are you freaking kidding me right now?!" He exclaimed.

"Why w... _Why_ would you _do that?_ " I demanded, staring hotly at the bespectacled teen.

"There's all this cool, old movie crap down here." Chris explained as he gestured around the basement with a proud smile. "What, was I ... was I _not_ supposed to take advantage of the opportunity?"

Lucas clenched and unclenched his jaw, looking more and more pissed by the second.

"Are you ... are you _serious?_ " I turned to Josh and shoved him in the shoulder. "Were you in on this, putz?"

He snickered again. "No. But I wish I was! That was too good." He and Chris then shared a high-five, making me roll my eyes to myself.

" _That_ was complete bullshit, Christopher!" Lucas barked with his arms thrown across his chest. "I can't believe you actually did something that _stupid!_ "

"Oh, come on, Luke." Chris said in an attempt to defuse our emo friend's anger. "It was just a silly, little, harmless joke. Where's your sense of humor?"

Lucas's glare became reduced to one of his typical, dry stares as he looked directly through the frames of Chris's glasses. "I lost it last winter." He said in a sullen tone, right before he started scooping the quilts back up. "I _hate_ pranks. The next time someone pulls one on me like that, they'll have some hell to pay. Now, let's get out of this basement before I change my mind and knock Hartley down the stairs. We've been down here long enough."

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Sam's** **Relationship Status: Chris -1 (5/10)**

 **Lucas's Relationship Status: Chris -1 (2/10)**

 **Sam's Character Traits: Brave -1 (6/10)**

 **Lucas's Character Traits: Brave -1 (7/10)**

 **Josh's Character Traits: Brave -1 (3/10)**

 **Chris's Character Traits: Funny +1 (9/10)**

* * *

 **Russell's POV**

The entire time I flicked through the photos on my camera, a satisfied smile hardly left my face. I touched my chin and murmured to myself between almost all of the shots, noting ways that I could edit them on my laptop after this weekend getaway came to an end.

A couple of pictures captured a spectacular view of the millions of mountains that surrounded the upper Cable Car station. The moonlight glimmered against the snow that blanketed them and provided a lovely silver tint to the late sky, making the multiple angles I shot even more beautiful. There was even one picture in which a bird was flying across the full moon, exposing its silhouette.

In another photo, both sides of the treeline were powdered with frost and there were mine and Sam's footprints implanted in the snowy trail. Plus, a small fox could be seen poking its head out from behind a large rock, looking right in the direction of the camera. It almost perfectly resembled a Christmas card - there was even a chance that I would _transform_ this exact photo into a Christmas card next year.

My favorite picture that I had taken so far was of Sam kneeling down to feed the baby squirrel while on our way to the Cable Car station. She was wearing one of her gorgeous smiles and I'd snapped the photo just as the small critter had reached up into her hand to grab an acorn. Just looking at it made me chuckle in delight.

However, when I turned to the next photo ... something appeared on the screen that I didn't expect. In less than a second, my grin disappeared like it was never there to begin with and my eyes widened. It was the picture that I'd taken last year of Hannah and Beth standing on these exact stairs together, their arms intertwined with opposing grins on their faces. At the sight of it, I felt a sharp pain shoot through my heart and the realization hit me that I had completely forgotten to clear the memory card.

"Oh God..." I muttered under my breath, almost having to force the words out of my throat. "I forgot to clear the memory card, dammit..."

I gently placed my thumb against the edge of the screen and stroked it, as if that would somehow rewind time and fix everything. Just looking at Hannah brought back flashbacks of how excited she was when she first entered the guest room, completely unaware that her dream night with Mike was just one big setup. This was the last picture that someone had _ever_ taken of the two of them.

I attempted to act like that picture never popped up by continuing my examination of my more recent photos ... but that was immediately shot to hell when the next photograph appeared on the screen. It was of Scott in the kitchen, leaning against the counter and holding a plastic cup in the air as he flashed a large smile. As soon as I saw that picture, an even stronger jolt of pain electrocuted through my chest and I felt hot tears begin to flow down my cheeks. A few of them dripped down and landed directly on the digital screen. Until that point, I hadn't even notice that I'd been crying.

A mixture of guilt and sorrow swirled inside of me like a whirlpool. Then, just by looking at the enthusiastic grin that was on my best friend's face, I recalled a conversation we'd once had two autumns ago.

* * *

 _"I've always wondered, what got you interested in photography in the first place, Russ?" He had asked._

 _I shrugged, watching as he flipped through one of the photo albums that I had made. "I'm not sure. I guess I just liked the idea of catching moments while they were happening, you know?" I tried to explain back then. "Every photo has a story to tell, whether the photographer creates it or not."_

 _"You know that I support you one hundred percent with this career choice, but there's **no way** I could ever pull off being a photographer like you." Scott traced his finger carefully along the edge of the page that he was on and turned to the next one. "Not because I suck at taking pictures in general, but because I wouldn't be able to handle it."_

 _I cocked my head at him like a confused puppy and asked, "What do you mean?"_

 _"Well, people mask their emotions all the time. It's a secret skill that almost every human being possesses. How would I know if people are smiling because they genuinely **want** to or because they feel like they **have** to?" Scott wondered. He looked up from my photos and offered me a kind grin. "You know how much I hate being lied to, dude. A smile is always great to have, but you'd be surprised how well it could be used to hide a broken heart."_

* * *

I quietly sniffled as another tear plopped down on my camera, desperately wishing that he and his sisters weren't gone. I would give _anything_ to have them back with me and the rest of the gang. They were great people, and whatever happened to them out there in those woods, they didn't deserve it.

Suddenly, I detected the sound of a door from the floor below me opening up. That could only mean one thing: Sam, Josh, Lucas, and Chris (who had went downstairs to search for the Ouija board, I guess) were coming back. Knowing that I couldn't let them see me like this, I quickly wiped the streaks away from my face, rubbed the remaining water out of my eyes, and switched my camera off.

The soft sound of Sammy's voice lingered through the air, "I'm ready to admit that your dumb little prank may have had a slight whiff of humor to it."

"Jokemaster!" Chris cheered, just as I used my sleeve to clean the teardrops away from my camera's screen.

"Oh, shut it, Hartley!" Luke barked. "No matter how many times you call it that, it _wasn't_ a joke!"

The sound of multiple footsteps ascending up the stairs started up as my girlfriend spoke up again. "I said _nothing_ about jokes. I said your prank, which was dumb-"

"It _wasn't_ a prank either!" Lucas retorted, cutting her off. "It was just complete and utter bullshit!"

Josh lightly laughed. "Holy crap, you guys were scared. Admit it."

"I was _not!_ " Sam objected in a stubborn tone that brought at least a tiny smile to my face.

"Come on, you and Lucas totally pissed yourselves!" Josh snickered some more.

"Josh!" Sammy warned, just as I stood up from the stair that I'd been sitting on and stepped back down onto the floor.

At the same time, the emo teen exclaimed, "Can it, Washington!"

I walked over to the edge of the main staircase and watched as the four other teens came into view. At the sight of Chris now dressed in an entirely different outfit, my eyebrows automatically furrowed together in confusion. Lucas walked right past me, shaking his head to himself in annoyance while carrying a box that was full of horribly folded blankets.

"Hey, Scarface." Chris said with his voice drenched in amusement as he gave me a wave.

"Hey, Chris..." I replied, too lost to wave back. Instead, I wrapped my arms around Sam's waist after she finished approaching me and chuckled slightly. "What on earth did I miss while you guys were down in the basement?"

"Ugh. Don't ask." Sam answered with a small groan. She placed her hands on my shoulders and gave me a quick peck on the lips. "What did you do up here while we were gone?"

I put on a realistic smile. "Oh, you know ... I just looked at a few pictures."

Just then, as Josh walked over to the fireplace to warm up and Lucas coolly leaned against the wall beside one of the corridors, Ashley entered the room. The first thing her eyes landed on was Chris, causing a look of disbelief to cross over her face.

She stopped in front of the hawk-haired teen and said, "What ... in God's name ... are you wearing?"

"I..." Chris crossed her and then placed his hands together like he was getting ready to pray. "...found my true calling."

Ashley smirked and folded her hands in front of her own mouth. "Please tell me you're going to take a vow of silence."

Chris bobbed his head around and moved his lips, but no words came out. As a result of this, the redhead giggled.

"Okay, okay." She said. "Did you at least find the _thingy?_ "

I got a little sick to my stomach due to what happened next. The bespectacled teen reached into the old cloak that he was wearing and pulled out a dusty box that had the picture of an Ouija board designed on it. I swear, just the sight of it made my blood run a little cold. I'd seen these things plenty of times before on TV, but looking at one in person and knowing that my own friends were about to mess with it ... yeah, it was clearly different.

"Boi-oi-oi-oing!" Chris proclaimed, holding the piece of witchcraft up in the air. "Here's our one-way ticket to the spirit realm...!"

Lucas rolled his eyes, being the type of person who lacked a lot of belief in the paranormal.

Sam closed her eyes, still holding my hand. "You know what? You know what? No!" She denied as she opened them again. "I've just been through _enough_ spooking for one night, okay? I see a hot bath in my crystal ball."

"Enjoy yourself, babe." I said, sealing my lips against hers for about three seconds. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Russ." Sam promised. We exchanged smiles and gave each other's hands a small squeeze before letting each other go.

Josh flashed a suggestive grin in our direction. "You know, Scarface, that tub _is_ big enough for more than one person." He pointed out. "If you want, you and Sammy can-"

" _Josh..._ " Sam interrupted him with her eyebrows raised in a serious manner.

The eldest Washington flung his hands up to his shoulders. "Relax, it was just a joke! I was only kidding!" He chuckled.

"Good. Now, if you would guys would excuse me, I have a relaxing bath to attend to. Alright? So have fun...!" My girlfriend started up the stairs, but she stopped in order to look back at our host. "Oh, but watch out for that Josh. He's a schemer!"

"Okay." Josh playfully rolled his eyes and glanced over at our emo friend as Sam pursued upstairs. "So much for Little Miss Vegan. What about you, Luke? You interested in joining us?"

Lucas stared at him with the most uninterested look in all of existence. "I don't do seances." He informed coldly. "They're ridiculous. I'm gonna go catch my nap. See you guys later on."

Without giving anyone the chance to say anything back, Ashley's cousin turned down the hall and disappeared from the room.

Josh huffed. "Well, Russell, that means you're the only one left. You want to participate in our game?"

My icy blue eyes expanded. Not only did I have a hard time believing that I - of all people - were literally just asked to participate in a seance, but ... my friends actually thought of the Ouija board as a safe, normal game.

* * *

 _ **X Accept (I guess I'll join.)/Refuse (No way!) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Refuse**_

* * *

"There's _no way_ I'm making any sort of contact with that thing!" I shook my head, refusing to get pulled into some demonic activity. "And to be honest, you guys shouldn't either."

Ashley blinked, clearly confused by what I meant. "Why not? It's not like it's going to do anything." She said innocently.

"It's _never_ safe to mess around with Ouija boards." I retorted with complete seriousness dripping from my words. "They can do some pretty messed up stuff."

Chris snickered, still holding the dusty box. "Oh, come on, Russ. Movies and TV shows over-exaggerate things like this all the time. There's nothing to be scared of."

Josh nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Cochise is right. I used to do it all the time and nothing bad happened to me."

"Who knows, we might even be able to communicate with Casper the Friendly Ghost or Sebastian Michaelis from _Black Butler._ " Chris joked, at which I lightly adjusted the crucifix around my neck. "Lighten up, Russell. It's just a game."

I softly shook my head again, not planning to back down anytime soon. "No ... not to me, it's not. If you guys want to use it, I can't stop you ... but I also won't stick around for it." I informed as I took my camera in my hands and spun the dial around a few times. "So, Josh, is it okay with you if I go look around for interesting things to take pictures of?"

"Sure, Scarface. I don't mind." Josh replied, not seeming to be disappointed. "Feel free to take as many photos as you want."

I forced myself to smile, considering I still felt uncomfortable at the thought of my friends using a spirit board. "Thanks, man. I'll be back in a bit." I said.

Chris saluted me with two fingers and Ashley waved as she said, "Have fun!"

I began walking off, wondering where the most interesting knick-knacks and other objects would be located. Eventually, as I started walking down one of the corridors, my mind settled on a place: the library.

* * *

 **A/N: There you go, my spectacular readers. Another chapter has been completed. I hope you all enjoyed the last part of _Jealousy._ In the next chapter, _Isolation_ will finally begin! :D**

 **I would also like to point out that I did make a reference to the story "Hell's Circus" by Anarchist's Rose in this chapter. She is a great friend of mine and an awesome writer, so I highly suggest that you all check her out as well!**

 **Please give me feedback on your thoughts of this chapter. Don't be shy to share your opinions. You can PM them to me at anytime or write them in the comment section. Really, I'm _super_ thankful for feedback and it helps me very much. I also appreciate it, so don't ever feel like you have to hold back. Please review, and thank you all very much. :)**

 **Fun Fact : If you didn't catch this, the blue butterfly on Sam's locket and the ones I implied in Hannah's snow globe are a reference to the butterfly at the beginning of the game. **

**Also, like I stated in the first Author's Note at the top, my poll is still open and is advertised on my page. Who is your favorite new character in this story so far? Please cast your votes. I'm really interested in seeing what you all think!**

 **Once again, Ethan _will_ appear soon. Aside from that question, I don't believe I have anymore to answer.**

 **Well, ladies and gentlemen, the time has come for me to officially end this chapter.**

 **I hope you all have a wonderful day! I wish you all happy reading and writing! :D**

 **Crystalteen, out!**


	6. Isolation

**A/N: What's happening, all of my marvelous viewers? I hope everything is going well for all of you. :)**

 **Who's ready for the suspenseful rising of _Isolation?_ I hope you are all as excited as I am! :D Nonetheless, before we dive in, I would once again like to take the time to thank everyone who takes time out of their day to read _Return to Blackwood Mountain._ I would also like to thank those who post reviews and add it to their favorites/follows. You are all one hundred percent amazing and I'm very flattered to have such an audience. :)**

 **Also, I recently received this question: "How long do you plan to take between chapters before updating again?" Unfortunately, I don't have a direct answer for that. After each chapter, I usually take 1-2 weeks off to clear my mind and plan out the next chapter before working again. Otherwise, I face the risk of getting myself stressed out and that leads to temporary writer's block. So, please understand that this story takes time to work on because I want to make sure each chapter is suspenseful, interesting, and enjoyable for all of you. :) I appreciate you all for understanding.**

 **Warning : This chapter contains graphic descriptions of suicide and the usage of an Ouija board. As a proud Christian, I do not believe in using these sorts of things and please note that I'm only writing it because it's in the game. I highly encourage all of you to stay away and not get tangled up with Ouija boards. No matter what is said, they are _not_ "just a game." **

**Please don't hesitate to share your opinions on this story! I love feedback and I appreciate it very much, so don't hold back on expressing your thoughts! Feel free to post them in the reviews or you can PM them to me at anytime! Thanks, everyone! :D**

 **Well, I believe I've said everything that I wanted to say. The time has come for you all to sit back, relax with a snack, and enjoy reading _Isolation!_**

 **Happy reading, everybody! :)**

* * *

 ** _3\. ISOLATION_**

 ** _& EIGHT HOURS UNTIL DAWN&_**

* * *

 **Ashley's POV**

 _ **WASHINGTON LODGE**_

 _ **22:55**_

I had never participated in a seance before, so I was a little nervous. The only time I'd ever seen a spirit board in person before was when my elder brother, Roger, had purchased one off eBay when I was thirteen to prank his roommates. He invited them over on Halloween, considering he knew that I would be leaving to take our little sister, Kate, Trick-or-Treating. Though, while she was getting dressed in her fairy costume, I managed to sneak a peek at Roger's setup in the attic. He and his three friends were sitting in the direct center, enjoying shots of booze like typical college students. All around them, candles were lit to create eerie shapes and white Christmas lights were tangled around the beams, blinking on and off like fireflies. Roger had _really_ outdone himself with creating the spooky atmosphere, even going as far as telling his buddies that our house was haunted by the ghost of a woman who had slit her wrists and hung herself right above where they were sitting.

Long story short, his friends claimed that ghosts didn't exist and they immediately regretted it when they started playing with the Ouija board. They didn't realize that Roger was the one who was moving the planchette around, spelling out scary sentences like " _Get the hell out of my attic_ " and " _I'm going to kill you all._ " Then, the icing on the cake was when Roger's friends looked up about halfway through the phony seance and saw a life-size doll that my brother had _also_ bought hanging from a noose with red paint streaked across its wrists. I swear, I'd never heard such girly screams before in my _entire_ life.

Back then, it was funny because I knew that Roger was faking it ... but now, I wasn't so sure.

Ever since Beth, Hannah, and Scott disappeared, I've been going back to church a lot more. I've always believed in the existence of spirits, God, and some sort of afterlife, but ghosts and hauntings were a bit more complicated for me to get a grasp on. I've been on the fence with those for as long as I could remember and there was a chance that Josh's spirit board could actually _help_ with my curiosity.

However, I couldn't stop thinking about what Russell had said. In all my years of knowing him, I don't think I've ever seen him act so serious about anything before. I honestly didn't see the problem with trying out the Ouija board. It was more than likely just a hoax and not only did Roger play around with one without getting hurt, but Josh said he's used it plenty of times as well. Although, I still felt a little bad for not going after Russell after he left the room. After all, he was just trying to be a good friend; but he had nothing to worry about ... right?

Josh, Chris, and I were still in the Great Room. I was currently standing in front of the fireplace with my arms crossed, thinking about the spirit board and listening to the flames crackle as the warm, vivid glow gleamed against my skin. As for Chris, he had just finished discarding the weird monk costume that he'd been wearing to the couch and was speaking with Josh, who was now holding the box that contained the key item to our seance.

"So, what's the plan, Josh?" Chris asked while fixing the collar of his commando sweater. "Are we going to set the board up down here and get to communicating?"

"Not so fast, bro. One of the most important things for us to do before the seance is make sure that we set up everything in the _best_ location there is." Josh informed, looking down at the old box with an ecstatic look in his eyes. "The more ominous our surroundings are, the better chances we'll have at contacting someone ... or _something._ " After his final word, he made a long, spooky ghost sound that made Chris breathe a small laugh.

I nervously bit down on my bottom lip and dragged it between my teeth, knowing that the fire was reflecting in my dark green eyes. Russell's warning wouldn't stop repeating itself in my mind, and it wasn't like the thought of traveling to a creepier section of the lodge helped me feel any better. Why was I getting such a bad feeling about this all of the sudden?

"Alright, man, whatever you say. You're the host of this party." Chris said as he shook his head in amusement. "Do you have a place in mind?"

"You know I do." Josh confirmed with a proud, toothy grin. "There's this spot located in the outer section of the library. It's _perfect_ for this."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get moving." The bespectacled teen swiveled around and I could feel his gaze lock on me. "What do you say, Ash? You ready?"

There was a brief moment of hesitation before I released a small sigh. "I - I don't know..." I said, dropping my attention down to my boots.

I didn't need to see Josh or Chris to know that their smiles had just faltered. Courtesy of this, a guilty knot formed in the pit of my stomach. I hated the thought of getting their hopes up for this ritual, but I couldn't shake the sudden feeling that something horrible was going to happen if we _did_ do it. It was definitely a result of what Russell had told us, despite how I wasn't one hundred percent convinced yet that spirit boards even worked.

"What?" Chris questioned.

The knot in my gut tightened a little more as I turned around to face him and our host. "I'm just trying to think. Are you guys sure that we should be doing this?" I asked with a small pout molded across my lips.

Josh tilted his head at me like a puppy that was trying to understand a new trick. "Is there even a reason why we shouldn't?" He inquired in a genuinely curious tone. "What's with this sudden change of heart?"

I anxiously fiddled around with my nails. "Well, Russell seemed pretty upset that we were planning to use a spirit board. It's like ... he knows something terrible is going to happen if we do this seance."

Chris scoffed and shook his head, sounding slightly amused. "Oh, come on, Ashley. You don't _actually_ think that any harm could come to us by trying this thing out, do you?" He gestured to the Ouija board's box at the mention of it. "It's nothing more than a wooden board with the ABC's printed on it. I highly doubt it's able to do anything bad to us."

"Yeah, Cochise is right." Josh said, nodding his head in agreement. "Trust me, I've played this game enough times to know how it goes. When you actually manage to communicate with someone through this thing, it's such a _huge_ thrill. I can personally guarantee that there's _nothing_ to be worried about. It's gonna be a lot of fun!"

"And besides, we all know how Scarface gets when it comes to his photography." Chris added with his hands on his hips. "He can't go a day without taking at least _one_ picture, so he probably just wanted to use this time to go off and do it since everyone else is off doing their own thing."

I straightened my lips in uncertainity. "Well, if that's _really_ what it is, then why would he tell us all of that stuff about Ouija boards being dangerous and causing a lot of messed up stuff?"

Josh gave a lazy shrug and replied simply. "He was just trying to scare us, but like I said, there's nothing to _actually_ be afraid of. The worst outcome there even is when it comes to using a spirit board is failing to come in contact with anything. But hey..." He raised his eyebrows at me, his voice turning serious with slight sympathy highlighting the edge. "If you're _really_ having second thoughts about this, you can go ahead and go find Russell to hang out with him. Maybe he'll let you pose for some of his pictures. Or, if you still want to have an _awesome_ and _unforgettable_ experience with me and Chris, you can join us upstairs with this bad boy here." He shook the box a little at the end of his sentence, making the spirit board and planchette rattle around like a wrapped up Christmas present.

Chris glanced back and forth from me to Josh, not seeming to know what else to say. "Well, Ash ... what's it gonna be?" He then asked with a gentle, curious glow in his eyes.

I looked down at the floor and frowned again, starting to feel very self-conscious. I was making a complete fool out of myself in front of Chris, who was the last person on the entire planet who I would ever want to see me embarrassed like this. I had to admit, there was this tiny piece of me that has always wanted to try an Ouija board; but everything that Russell had said wouldn't stop replaying in my head. What made this even more humiliating was the fact that Josh made a pretty good point. Russell really _could've_ just been messing with us and here I was probably getting myself all worked up over nothing. Either way, I had to think fast and make a decision on what I wanted to do.

* * *

 _ **X Go Find Russell/Participate in Seance X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Participate in Seance**_

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Ashley's Character Traits: Brave +1 (5/10)**

* * *

Eventually, after a couple of seconds, I drew in a deep breath and decided to push Russell's words to the back of my mind. Then, as I lifted my head back up, I watched as Chris and Josh exchanged glances before they locked their attention back on me, waiting to hear my response. As nervous as a part of me still was, I wasn't about to make myself look like a chicken in front of the guy I liked. Plus, Josh _really_ wanted to use the spirit board and I didn't want to go against his wishes. He deserved to have as much fun as possible on this trip, especially with tonight being the anniversary.

"Alright, I'm in." I said in the most confident voice that I could pull off. "Let's do this seance."

A wide, satisfied grin instantly curled up on the corners of Josh's lips. "That's the spirit, girl!" He cheered like he just won the lottery. "Pun intended, by the way."

I scoffed and playfully rolled my eyes, while Chris released a few snickers and shook his head in amusement. Then, he looked back over at me and flashed a smile that almost seemed shy as he said, "I'm glad that you still want to join us, Ash."

My cheeks tingled, warming up to the point where I almost forget that it was winter. As this happened, I tucked a few strands of my auburn hair behind my ear and sweetly returned the smile. I could've sworn that I saw the faintest shade of pink sweep across Chris's face as he pretended to adjust his glasses. As childish as it might've sounded, I felt like a colony of butterflies had been released inside my stomach. There was only one other time in which I've ever felt like this in the past ... and that's when I was first falling in love with Scott. At the thought of him, my smile started to crumble away as I absently traced my fingertips across the necklace that he'd given me shortly before he disappeared; but luckily, my change in attitude went unnoticed due to how Josh had spoken up again.

"Well, we better get this show on the road before everyone gets back. Follow me, guys."

Chris and I obeyed. With our host leading the way, we walked through the foyer and proceeded down a long hallway that was poorly lit by moonlight. The ground transitioned from stone to hardwood, making our footsteps click at one moment and then creak from some of the old floorboards the very next. Out of instinct, while passing by dozens of paintings, potted plants, closed doors, and sections of walls that were constructed out of grey stone, I took a hold of Chris's arm to prevent tripping or bumping into anything. For a moment, I thought I felt his hand faintly graze across my knuckles; but other than that, he didn't seem to have a problem with me clinging to his arm.

Josh opened the final door that was at the direct end of the corridor. It led into a medium-sized room that was mostly empty, aside from a couple of bookshelves that stretched halfway across the north wall, an abandoned coffee table, and an unsettling picture of some man's face. It was positioned between the door in which we entered and the doorway that entered Mr. Washington's office, sending uneasy chills down my spine. There was a piece of me that could've sworn its painted eyes were following us, but I ignored it as Josh then led me and Chris through a small doorway between the bookshelves. Here, I was able to release Chris's arm and the three of us pursued up a series of steps that led up to one of the lodge's upper levels.

When we reached the top, I saw why Josh described this as an ominous spot. A small, round table was positioned directly in front of the window with three chairs placed around it. Aside from that, there was a dead houseplant decorating the corner with what looked like a lamp covered by a sheet sitting next to it. Then, at last, there were a couple of candles already scattered in certain areas around the table.

What Russell had said starting creeping back to the front of my mind, but I shoved all of the words back for a second time and tried to ignore the slight nervousness that I was still feeling.

"Alright, here we are." Josh announced. He handed the box over to Chris, half of his face being illuminated by the moonlight. "Cochise, you get the spirit board set up and read the directions. I'm going to get these candles lit."

"Okay, I'm on it." Chris said.

I followed him over to the table, running my hands up and down my arms in an attempt to warm myself up from the draft. Then, as Josh pulled a Zippo out of his pocket and began to light the candles, Chris sat the box down in the center of the table and pulled out one of the chairs. Though, instead of sitting down, he looked over at me and gestured to the chair as he said in an incredibly cheesy French accent, "Your seat, mademoiselle."

I almost instantly felt a faint blush return to my face. "Why, thank you, Chris." I chuckled, feeling both flattered and amused as I seated myself in the chair that he had pulled out for me.

After that, Chris pushed me back in and from the corner of my eye, I caught a vague glimpse of Josh giving him what looked like a thumbs up. I didn't have the slightest clue as to what the two of them were doing, but at the same time, I didn't put much thought into it. Instead, while Chris made himself comfortable in the seat that was to the left of mine, I swept my hand across the top of the box. A thick cloud of dust immediately flew off and fled through the air, causing me and Chris to blow up into a coughing fit. We both tried fanning the particles away from us, Chris using both hands while I only used one since I was using my other hand to cover my mouth in an attempt to subdue my hacking.

Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, we both managed to stop coughing and catch our breath.

Josh glanced over his shoulder, just getting done with lighting the candle that was closest to the window. "You guys okay?" He asked with his voice drenched in concern.

"Yeah, we're fine." Chris breathed out, still waving one of his hands through the air. "That was just _a lot_ more dust than we expected."

I huffed, wiping some leftover dust from my hands off on my denim shorts. "You could say that again." I murmured bashfully. "Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it, Ashley." Josh said as he walked over to the table and lit the only candle that was on it. "You seriously don't have to apologize. It was just a bit of dust. No big deal." He sounded a little entertained, considering it was a habit of mine to apologize for almost everything that I did ... and at that moment, while looking at him, I couldn't help but think about Scott again. The two of them had the exact same milky green eyes and very similar smiles. Not only that, but Scott used to love describing this habit of mine as cute.

" _He was so sweet and willing to do whatever it took to make me happy..._ " As these words rolled into my mind, I looked down at my lap with a small pout and felt a strong pain in the unreachable center of my heart. " _We were together for three whole years. We were so happy, never doubting our relationship for a second ... but if we really were meant by God to go our separate ways at some point in our lives ... **why** did He have to let it happen in the worst way possible?_"

My heart ached with every pump it made, as if it was covered by a large, raw, bullet wound. I reached my hand up and delicately dragged one of the drawstrings of my hoodie between my thumb and index finger. Even though Scott had given me this when we weren't together yet, it was something that I deeply treasured ever since he, along with Beth and Hannah, went missing. I've sobbed into it at least a hundred times and slept with it every night ever since what happened last year. Nobody, except for Lucas, knew about that ... but it was true.

" _Get a grip on yourself, Ash. Don't forget about the main reason why you agreed to come back to this mountain in the first place._ " I straightened my lips, forcing the frown to disappear as I drew in a soft, calming breath. " _You're here to have an awesome weekend with your friends, not to dwell on what can't be changed. Scott wouldn't want you to cling to the past like this. Nobody said it was going to be easy, but you need to move on and allow yourself to find closure. After all, that's what you would want from him if the roles were switched._ "

I lifted my head back up, only to notice that Chris had already taken the Ouija board out of its box. He was holding a small book with yellowed pages that had somehow been damaged by water spots. His translucent blue eyes were narrowed in thought as he ran the tip of his finger along the faded text, mouthing a jumble of words that I couldn't make out to himself.

"Uh, Josh? How exactly is _anyone_ supposed to understand these directions?" Chris inquired, leaning in slightly to get a closer look at the book. "I can't even figure out what language they're written in."

Josh cocked an eyebrow in confusion, just as I leaned over in my seat a little to catch a glimpse of the pages. Within seconds, I saw the reason why Chris was having such a difficult time with the directions.

"I think that's because you're holding the book upside-down, Chris." I pointed out with a tiny bit of amusement twinkling in my eyes.

Josh immediately let out a single, somewhat audible snort; but he didn't say anything as he worked on lighting the last candle.

The realization struck Chris like a lightning bolt, causing his eyes to grow. Then, after he flipped the book over and saw that the messy sentences were much more understandable, a scarlet tint burned across his face. He pretended to adjust his glasses, evidently trying to play it cool as he sat the book down on the table and hurried to catch up on all of the reading.

"Oh, right ... I knew that. I was just messing around with you guys." He said with a small, sheepish grin. A moment of silence went by before he looked up at me and Josh again. "So it says here: 'to communicate with the spirit world, you must free your mind of all preconceptions, drop all inhibitions, and generally give yourself over entirely to the will of others, sublimating your every desire to the whims of the Spirit-master,' which is me-"

"It doesn't say that." I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

As this happened, Josh returned the Zippo to his pocket and took a seat in the last chair around the table, no longer looking amused.

Still, that didn't stop Chris from pointing at himself and adding, "And all will remove their garments at my sole discretion."

Josh groaned. "Chris, come on, this is serious."

"Oh, I'm deadly serious." Chris retorted as he placed his hands on his hips and impersonated Dracula's laughter.

I closed my eyes and shook my head, ready to get down to business. "Oh shush it, let's try this." I said as I opened my eyes again, already having my attention locked on the spirit board.

"Yes, please." Josh agreed.

All three of us raised our hands and placed them on the board. I didn't know about Josh or Chris, but as soon as I touched it ... it was almost like the silvery light that was leaking in through the shutters had darkened a bit. A weird, unnerving sensation started balling up in the deepest part of my gut; but I assured myself that it was just paranoia and tried to brush it off.

"Okay then, let's see what happens." Chris complied at last. "Ashley, since you're a recent convert, why don't you be our medium for today?"

I quietly huffed, watching as we each positioned our index fingers on top of the planchette. For a moment, aside from the sounds of the trees rustling and outdoor shutters rattling from the ferocious wind, there was nothing but complete silence as I bit down on my bottom lip and stared at the Ouija board. It had been a long time since I'd spied on Roger's phony seance, so I couldn't recall hardly anything that he or his buddies said while "making contact." That left me with only one option: I had to come up with my own way to kick off this entire ritual.

* * *

 ** _WASHINGTON LODGE LIBRARY_**

 _ **23:00**_

* * *

 **X** _**Serious (Is anyone there?)/Flippant (**_ _ **Umm ... abracadabra?) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Flippant**_

* * *

Since I had no knowledge whatsoever on how to lead a seance, I literally opened my mouth and said the first jumble of words that popped into my head.

"Okay. Uhhh. Is anyone there...?" I began, hoping to death that I didn't sound dumb as I peeked up at the ceiling. "Helloo ... Pick up the phone ... spirits ... Spirit phone..."

I noticed Josh drop his head to look down at the table, and for a split second, I thought he saw something happen to the planchette. However, it didn't take me long to realize that the _real_ reason he looked down was because he couldn't believe the way I was trying to get ... whoever was out there ... to communicate with us. His eyes were swarming with disbelief, causing me to begin feeling a tad bit insecure.

"Ummm ... Abracadabra...?" I went on with a faint, embarrassed blush staining my cheeks.

With a faint roll of his eyes, Josh glanced back up at me. "Come on..." He urged.

"Umm..." I shifted a little in my seat, still not having the slightest idea how to do this. "If you can hear my voice, give us a sign..."

"Yeah, like a peace sign, or a stop sign-" Chris joked, only adding more fuel to the fire and making me cringe slightly.

"Guys!" Josh yapped, starting to sound annoyed as he removed his finger from the planchette. "If you're not gonna take this seriously..."

"Okay, okay..." The last thing I wanted to do was test Josh's patience, so I drew in a steady breath and began to ask questions. "Is anyone there? ... Wherever 'there' is?"

Our host placed his finger back on the planchette. There was a long, quiet pause that filled the room, in which nothing happened ... but then, much to my surprise, the planchette _actually_ guided our hands to the center of the board and I felt like the moonlight had decreased even more.

"Wait a minute-" Chris spoke up.

Josh peeked over at me with wide eyes. "Did you do that...?"

I shook my head. "I didn't do anything!"

"It's moving again!" Chris chuckled a little, making it obvious that he didn't necessarily believe that this was a spirit. For as long as I could remember, he's always been the type of person who needed to see something with his own eyes in order to believe in it.

A shiver ran through my bones as the planchette slid over to the letter _H._ "'H...'" I said, right before the three of us started talking right on top of each other.

"What's it spelling?" Josh asked in a tone that was both curious and shocked.

"Hold on." I kept watching the pointer with worried eyes, wanting to make sure that I caught all of the letters as it continued to move across the board.

"How's this happening?" Josh inquired.

"Are you moving it...?" Chris asked as he flicked his attention back and forth from me to the planchette.

My voice was almost pleading. "I swear, it's just moving."

As soon as I finished my sentence, the pointer finished spelling out a word. _H-E-L-P._

"Holy shit." Josh breathed, staring at the spirit board in utter disbelief.

I looked at Chris, clearly caught off guard. "'Help?'"

"...How are we supposed to help?" He questioned with a small shrug.

"I don't know." I retorted, feeling the uneasiness inside of me starting to increase. "What does it mean?"

Chris buzzed his lips, refusing to draw his attention away from the board. "We need to know who it is if we're supposed to help them." He pointed out...

* * *

 _ **X Clarify (Who needs help?)/Probe (How can we help?) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Probe**_

* * *

...but I, unfortunately, couldn't shake off my curiosity as to what this ... _being_ ... needed help with in the first place. Almost immediately after Chris made that fine point on figuring out the identify of the spirit, I looked up at the ceiling and, while batting my anxious eyes, decided to probe whoever we were speaking to.

"How can we 'help' you?" I asked.

A faint second went by with no response before the pointer started gliding across the board again.

More snickers bubbled out of Chris's mouth as he said for a second time, "It's moving again."

"Whoa." Josh whispered, almost in awe.

The planchette was going too fast for me to catch all of the letters this time. "What's it spelling?" I questioned nervously.

 _W-A-R..._

"War...?" Chris sounded out, stretching every syllable.

"It's moving fast." I noted.

The draft in the room started to feel a lot colder, but I didn't know whether or not to believe it was a side effect from our summoned visitor or just my mind playing tricks on me.

"Warni..." Chris spoke again as the planchette guided our hands over to the _I,_ followed by two more letters. _I-N-G ... W-A-R-N-I-N-G._

"Shit." Josh cursed with his eyes large and full of shock.

"Oh my God..." I whimpered, looking back and forth between my two friends. "'Warning?'"

Chris glanced at me, his eyebrows raised. "I think ... we, uh ... _really_ need to find out who's trying communicating with us."

By this point, I was slowly starting to have a difficult time with ignoring everything that Russell had said. An uncomfortable, prickly feeling started to run up and down my spine as I stared at the Ouija board, knowing that it was time to take Chris's advice.

* * *

 _ **X Probe (Who are you?)/Clarify (What do you mean?) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Probe**_

* * *

"...We can't help you if we don't know who you are." I notified, peeking up towards the ceiling again. "Can you tell us who you are...?"

Josh let out a somewhat shaky breath, just as the pointer began to move across the board once again.

"Ohh, here it goes-" I said as I sucked in a breath, trying to remain calm.

The three of us watched the planchette closely as it slid around at a rapid speed.

"Okay." Josh huffed. "'S.'"

"'I.'" I reacted next.

"'B.'" Chris went third.

The cycle continued until the pointer froze on the final letter.

Josh gulped. "'L.'"

"'I.'" I shuddered.

Chris sounded confused. "'N.'"

"'G.'" Josh finished, eyes expanding once again.

As soon as the word came together in my brain, my jaw felt heavier than cement. It took plenty of willpower for me to prevent it from dropping all the way down to the floor.

 _S-I-B-L-I-N-G._

"'Sibling...'" I recited, feeling like all of the air had been knocked out of my lungs. "Sibling?"

Josh started breathing a little faster. "Whose sibling?" He asked with suspicion dripping from his voice.

Chris shook his head, still seeming agnostic. "Oh, come on, is this for real?"

"Shut up." Josh snapped at him, right before he turned to look at me straight in the eyes. "Ask it whose sibling."

I uneasily curled my toes in my boots and felt the inside of my chest beginning to grow numb. "Josh ... it's ... it's gotta be..." I couldn't bring myself to finish the sentence, but judging by the realization that crossed over Josh's face, I knew that I didn't have to.

"Yeah? Okay. Well." He continued to speak intensely as a desperate look formed in his eyes. "Which sibling is it then?"

My eyes widened as I thought about that question. At the same time, Chris closed his eyes and, for the sake of his best friend, looked over at me again when he reopened them.

"Ashley, ask who it is." He instructed.

There were absolutely no words that could possibly describe how terrified I was. I had to stop for a moment to ponder my options, imagining Hannah, Scott, and Beth's smiling faces in my brain as I caught my bottom lip between my teeth and nibbled on it. Not only was this ritual starting to get _really_ freaky, but the fact that Josh, Chris, and I were making contact with one of the triplets only confirmed their tragic deaths even more. It was heartbreaking ... but I knew that I couldn't back down now. I had to choose one of their names.

* * *

 _ **X Hannah (...Is that you?)/Scott (...Is that you?)/Beth (...Is that you?) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Scott**_

* * *

I pursed my lips, feeling the numbing sensation in my chest beginning to spread more as I decided to settle on my ex-boyfriend. "Who are we speaking to...?" I spoke slowly and paused between some words in order to prevent myself from stuttering. "Scott...? Is that you?"

The planchette almost immediately slid over to the word _Yes_ in the upper left corner of the board ... and as soon as it did, I could've sworn that I felt my heart punch the inside of my chest so hard that its outline could be seen right through my clothes. This time, I couldn't stop my jaw from dropping and I instantly felt the wetness of tears starting to weld up in the corners of my eyes. As this happened, every single memory that I could recall between me and Scott played in my head like an insanely fast slideshow ... and that only made the pain worse.

"Oh God." I yelped as I flung my other hand up to my mouth in shock.

Chris had obviously become a lot more tense, staring at the pointer with a deflated look. "This is messed up." He said, right before he reached his unoccupied hand over and gently placed it on top of my planchette-using hand. "Are ... are you sure you can handle this, Ash?"

A tight frown formed behind my hand, but I forced it to vanish as I then withdrew my hand from my face and waved it dismissively. "Yeah, I ... I got this." I assured, and despite how I sounded more emotional than anything, Chris reluctantly removed his hand from mine.

My tearful eyes darted over to our host. "Josh..." I said with worry starting to taint my voice. "Are you-"

"I'm fine." He cut me off, staring at the spirit board with a hurt expression on his face.

My lips were starting to _really_ ache from how hard I was fighting to prevent them from transforming into another frown. "Are you sure, because we can stop-" I began to say.

"No." Josh interjected again, his voice growing sadder.

Chris shot him a sympathetic look and spoke gently, "Dude, it's cool..."

Our host looked at us frantically. "I want to here what it says."

There was a brief pause, in which I felt like the walls were slowly starting to close in. It was official that we were communicating with _Scott,_ and the first thought that came to my mind at that very moment was how pissed he was when he found out about the prank on Hannah. That was the last time the group saw him ... but here Chris, Josh, and I were ... actually _speaking_ with him on the anniversary of his disappearence. God, was this _really_ happening?

"I don't know where to start." I whispered as I nervously raised my shoulders up to my ears.

A teeny amount of fascination glimmered in Chris's eyes. "Think about it." He said softly. "If this is _actually_ Scott, I mean ... we can find out what happened that night..."

We both glanced over at Josh and I took down a small gulp, trying to get rid of a sore lump that was in my throat. "Josh?" I said to get his permission.

He let out a breath and replied instantly, "...I can handle it."

"Oh ... kay..." I screwed my eyes shut, feeling the water within them increasing as I tried to figure out what to say. "Umm ... let me think..."

* * *

 _ **X Probe (What happened to you?)/Apologize (We're so sorry.) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Probe**_

* * *

It felt like an entire century went by with nothing but the eerie sound of the house settling. I needed a moment to regain some composure, sucking my lips into my mouth and feeling my lungs quiver as I tried my hardest to keep battling against the urge to cry. I could feel the tears threatening to spill down my cheeks as I then opened my eyes back up, convincing myself that closure would be _much_ easier to get if Josh, Chris, and I knew what _really_ happened to the triplets out in those woods.

"Scott." I practically had to choke his name out as a single, quick sniffle managed to escape from my system. "We miss you ... and we want to know what happened to you. Can you tell us ... what happened?"

Josh turned his head to look off in the distance ... and for a split second, from the corner of my eye, I thought that I saw something in the far back of the room. I didn't get a good look at it, but I could've sworn that it was the shadowy silhouette of ... a _person._ However, before I could turn in my seat to see if there actually _was_ something standing there, the pointer started to move across the board again.

"B-" With every letter I recited, the more the devastation started to slip into my voice. "E-T-R-"

"Uh oh." Chris droned, in which the planchette guided our hands over to four final letters. _A-Y-E-D ... B-E-T-R-A-Y-E-D._

" _It's_ _ **never** safe to mess around with Ouija boards._ " Russell's serious words echoed in my brain, and my boots started to tremble underneath the table as I thought about our new word. " _They can do some pretty messed up stuff._ "

"I don't like this." I said shakily. For the first time in all of existence, I felt unprotected and terrified in Scott's presence.

Regret highlighted Chris's voice as he read the word, "Betrayed."

"What does he mean?" Josh inquired.

"It's still going!" Chris noted as the pointer started sliding around for the dozenth time...

...but this time, it was moving with _a lot_ more force. I practically had to fling half of my body across the table in order to prevent my finger from being removed from the planchette.

"Oh God-" I yelped, feeling my eyes starting to sting from the tears as I refused to blink in order to prevent missing any of the letters. "K-I- ... L-L- ... E-D. No!"

In less than a second, all of the color rushed out of Josh's skin. "Killed?" He exhaled.

"We didn't KILL them!" I bellowed, distraught. "It was just a prank!"

Chris immediately snapped his head in my direction, concern covering his face. "Ash, calm down, okay?!" He said in an attempt to sooth me. "Just - we need to find out more!"

I clenched my eyes shut and started quaking in my chair, no longer able to hold back the tears. It literally felt like my heart had been punctured by the sharpest knife in all of existence. I could feel the hot teardrops charging down my cheeks, as if there was a dam inside of me that had burst.

"I'm sorry, I am _so_ sorry!" I wailed as I placed my unoccupied hand back over my mouth in the hopes of smothering my loud sobs.

"Guys, guys..." Josh spoke up again, stunned and confused, "what do they mean?"

By this point, Chris was fully on edge. "Ask them what happened. It's the only way to know!" He persisted. "Ask them, Ash!"

Using my sleeve, I quickly wiped away as many of the tears from my face as I could. Then, as I drew in an anxious and somewhat stuffy breath through my nose, I tried my hardest to regain my composure. As this happened, I took a minute to consider what my next question would be.

* * *

 _ **X Probe (Who killed you?)/Clarify (How did you die?) X**_

 ** _Choice Chosen: Clarify_**

* * *

"Okay. Okay." I returned my gaze to the ceiling, still speaking in a tone that was both heartbroken and afraid. "How did you die? Scott, what happened to you? ... _Please_ tell us."

The pointer didn't hesitate to slide over to the letter _L,_ followed by two more letters. "L- ... I- ...B-" I spelled out.

Chris figured it out almost instantly. "'Library!' Maybe there's something in the library here-"

As soon as he said that, the planchette started to put together a new word, guiding our hands back and forth across the board.

"P-R-O-O-" I recited.

Again, Chris understood what the spirit was telling us. "'Proof,' there's, there's ... there's proof." He explained quickly.

"In the library?" I questioned, clearly confused.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the Ouija board violently shook and the planchette flipped clear off the table, causing the three of us to jump back in utter shock.

"Watch out!" Josh cried out, just as a fearful scream lunged out of my throat.

"WHOA!" Chris yelled at the exact same time with his eyes opened wider than ever before.

I had pounced right up from my chair and was now staring with gigantic eyes at the planchette, which was lying motionlessly on the floor. My heart felt like it was racing a million miles per minute, slamming against my chest with every pump it made. Now, I was beginning to think that Russell really _did_ know what he was talking about when it came to spirit boards.

"Holy shit." I cursed with my hands on top of my head, right before I turned to Chris for comfort. "Chris..."

Josh slowly started to stand up, drawing in a shaky breath as he shot a hateful and accusing look at the Ouija board. "You know what? No, this is bullshit." He snarled. "This isn't real-"

My legs felt like jelly from shaking so badly. "Josh, I don't know what's going on..." I insisted, in which I took my seat again to prevent the risk of collapsing to the floor.

Josh's face hardened into a scowl. "Listen, I don't know ... I don't know if you think messing with me is somehow going to help me with my grief or whatever, but this is _not_ cool." He began to storm away, refusing to make eye contact with me or Chris. "I can't believe you would do this to me. Scott was my brother and you're actually using this opportunity to treat him like a total joke. Like I said, _not_ cool."

"Josh, no!" I tried to defuse the situation, not wanting him to leave like this. "You _wanted_ to use the spirit board."

Chris made an attempt to come to my defense. "Hey, calm down, it's not Ash's fault!" He said, watching our host stalk closer to the stairs. "She would never do anything to disgrace Scott!"

Josh snipped at us, "I don't need this right now, okay?! You guys are full of it!"

Then, just like that, he jogged down the stairwell without looking back and disappeared out of sight.

" _Oh my God..._ " I stared in the direction that Josh had left, and then down at the spirit board. " _Did that ... did all of that **really** just happen?_"

I bit down on my bottom lip, nervously replaying the sight of the planchette throwing itself down to the floor in my head. At the same time, all of the words that had been spelled out on the board jumbled together with Russell's warning. After going through all of this, I felt nothing but complete guilt and regret.

"Sh-should we go after him?" I asked with some hesitance as I locked my attention back on Chris.

He shook his head, sighing. "Ah, man ... I mean, he'll be okay. Let's... let's just give him some time."

I knew that I could trust Chris. Not only did he never give me any reasons to doubt him, but he and Josh had been best friends for a majority of their lives. If there was anyone who knew what to do when Josh's behavior got like this, it was Chris.

However, I was still freaked out. "I don't _blame_ him ... that was crazy ... The pointer flew right off the table!"

"I mean, if..." Chris stammered slightly, trying to string his words together. "If you were faking it, you were doing one hell of a job-"

"I wasn't _faking_ anything." I interjected in a dead serious tone. "I think we should do what it says. We should look in the library..."

There was a lengthy pause, in which Chris straightened his lips in a contemplating manner. Though, he ended up nodding his head in agreement and we prepared ourselves to go search for whatever "proof" was hidden in the lodge.

* * *

 **Mike's POV**

 _ **PATH TO THE CABIN**_

 _ **23:22**_

 _Confusion fluttered in my eyes and I took a step closer to the tree. "Jess?" I called out._

 _That's when I heard the most horrifying thing possible. It made my heart feel like it dropped all the way down to the pit of my stomach. It was the sound of Jessica screaming at the top of her lungs, as if somebody - or something - was causing her harm._

 _My eyes shot gigantic. "Jess?!"_

* * *

With no hesitation, I bounded over to the icy tree trunk and began to climb over it as fast as I could, wanting nothing more than to get to my girlfriend to make sure that she was okay. Unfortunately, one of my feet ended up slipping out from underneath me due to stepping on some of the slush and I ended up getting the spot just inches above my pelvic area whacked against the wood.

"OOOOF-" I gasped, right before I clenched my eyes shut and gritted my teeth in pain. "SHIT NUGGETS!"

I scrambled to the top and forced myself back up onto my feet, dusting some snow off from my jeans before I jumped down. The snow on this half of the woods seemed much more piled up, considering it now reached up to my ankles and some even exploded like confetti beneath my shoes as soon as I landed.

Another small groan escaped from my mouth, but I tried ignoring the discomfort that was still circling around my lower, manly regions and started walking down the path. Along the way, I glanced around in every possible direction with cautious eyes and used the flashlight in the hopes of spotting Jess or any clues as to where she went. It was bad enough that we were already doing a terrible job at finding Ethan, and the last thing I needed right now was to be on my own in the dark forest during the beginning stage of a blizzard, trying to find my beige-blonde babe as well.

"Jessica? Ah, come on." I huffed, almost having a mini heart attack when I detected the sound of something rustling in a couple of bushes that were to my right; but when I shined the light over to see what was there, I realized it was just two squirrels gathering acorns.

Shaking my head, I pretended that didn't happen and kept walking as hundreds of snowflakes smacked me in the face. It was definitely starting to get _a lot_ colder and dangerous out there, so I _really_ wanted to find Jessica and get us to the guest cabin before the weather got any worse.

"Jess?" I shouted out, my worry increasing. "Where'd you go? This is ... _not_ funny."

I pointed the flashlight over towards a couple of trees, startling a group of crows. They bounded through the air, cawing, and flew into the opposite treeline, where they vanished from view. Shortly after this happened, I stumbled upon a rundown tractor that had its back completely buried in snow and its front overrun with roots. It had clearly been abandoned for quite some time.

I cocked my head like a confused puppy and started approaching it. "Jess? Buddy?" I called warily. "You in there?"

I reached my hand out, grabbed the frosty lock, and jiggled it. Though, when the door refused to open, I decided to lean in to peek through the foggy window.

Big mistake. With my face inches away from the glass, this god-awful mask popped up right in front of me at the speed of lightning.

"AHH!" I pierced the air with a loud, startled yell and jumped back, flinging my hand over my heart. "Whoa! Christ!"

Drawing in steady breaths, I rested my hands on my knees for a moment and then straightened myself back up. "Scared the blue outta my jeans." I faintly chuckled, deciding to examine the mask. "The hell is that doing in there anyway?"

It was definitely a worn out scarecrow mask, but I didn't see any reason as to why it would be set up the way that it was inside that tractor. Nonetheless, instead of putting much thought into it, I decided to brush it off like it never happened and began my way down a secret trail. I honestly didn't have the tiniest clue as to where this path led, but I was willing to check it in order to ensure Jessica's safety.

By this point, the freezing wind was starting to make my ears sting and it was like all I could hear was the sound of snow crunching beneath my boots. It was beginning to give me a headache.

"Jess? ... Ethan? ... Where in the world are you guys?" I proclaimed, twirling around in circles every few steps that I took. "Can either of you hear me? Hellooo?"

Nobody responded. Then, to make this situation even worse, I ceased in my tracks and noticed that this path was a total dead end. All around me, there was nothing but trees and a couple of small poles that were there to prevent hikers from wandering into possibly hazardous areas around the mountain.

" _Oh, you've **got** to be screwing with me right now._" I mentally grumbled as I shined the flashlight all around. " _I'm in the middle of a **huge** problem and t_ _aking this path was nothing but a complete waste of time!_ "

The look on my face gave it away that I wasn't pleased; but just as I was about to turn back around, the beam from my flashlight fell on an item that was lying in the snow. At first, I thought that it was something that belonged to Jess or maybe even Ethan. Unfortunately, when I walked over to it, it came to my realization that it was really another one of those strange wooden artifacts.

"Jesus Christ, it's _another_ one of these freaky things. You _can't_ be freakin' serious." I muttered under my breath, sounding both unnerved and annoyed as I got down on one knee in front of the carving. "Why the hell are these things all over this place anyway?"

Despite how creepy the object made me feel, I still curled my fingers around it, picked it up, and turned it over to examine it. This one had a majority of its color faded away, probably from lying in the snow for so long, but I could just barely make out some specks of blood-red paint. Not once in my life had I ever felt so weird about the shape of a butterfly.

* * *

 _ **Totem Found: Danger Totem**_

 _ **Information: Predicts a scene where a stampede of elk are staring at an unknown source. An elk in the front makes a threatening sound.**_

* * *

I immediately placed the artifact back down on the ground, not wanting to hold it for another second. It sent an unnatural feeling through my veins and almost made me feel like there was someone right behind me, breathing down my neck. Although, when I stood up and spun around on my heels, I saw that there was nobody else in sight. I automatically let out a heavy sigh, filling the air with a misty cloud from my breath, and rubbed the back of my neck to get rid of that uncomfortable feeling from seconds before.

"Okay, Mikey-boy, get a hold of yourself. It's just a chunk of wood ... forget you even saw it." I whispered to myself as I began to retreat down the trail. "You've been in these woods _plenty_ of times before. There's absolutely..." The sound of an unseen bird flapping its wings somewhere interrupted me, causing the confidence in my voice to falter just a teeny bit. "...nothing to be nervous of out here."

After returning to the tractor, I continued to hike down the path that I'd previously been on.

"Jess? Hon? Light of my life?" I called out, continuing to wave the flashlight back and forth. "I totally promise I won't murder you when I find you."

Just then, a mere second after my final word, a figure with large antlers that almost looked like demonic horns leaped out at me from the shadows. They released a fearless scream, as if preparing themselves to attack. At the same time, I stumbled back a couple steps and almost fell on my ass as I shrieked at the top of my lungs. I flung one of my arms up to protect my face, not knowing what else to do ... and the figure burst out laughing. A shower of moonlight then poured through the snow and trees, revealing that it was only Jessica who'd been holding a pair of old antlers to her head.

"Oh my God!" She cackled as she sat the antlers down.

"Oh my ... no!" I cried out, looking down at my feet and shaking my head.

"Haha!" My girlfriend gave herself a high-five and continued to laugh, still finding this whole thing funny. "That was _so good!_ "

I held my arms out at my sides in exasperation, objecting, "Not ... no!"

Jess started hurrying over to a fallen log and a couple of rocks, where I noticed her phone was set up. She picked it up and scampered back to me, practically exposing all of her teeth from her smile being so large.

"Wait, wait, wait, you _have_ to see this ... you have-" She insisted, holding the device out to me.

I waved my hand in a rejecting manner. "I'm not seeing anyth- no! No!"

"Look, no, no, no. Mike! Haha!" Jess showed me a playback of me screaming like a little girl, still snickering with glee.

"You _recorded_ that?" I exclaimed, just now feeling the color starting to return to my skin as I shot her a disapproving look.

"Look at your face!" Jessica urged between snorts.

My heart was still gunning like a wild bull. "I was _scared,_ Jess!" I bellowed with an embarrassed blush staining my cheeks. "You can't just jump out at somebody! I'm in the middle of the woods, it's scary!"

My beige-blonde babe gave my arm a quick, teasing, somewhat flirty stroke. "I'm sorry, did I scare you?" She asked, her sarcastic tone still being influenced by her giggles.

I pointed at the phone. "I-if you send that to anybody..."

"You'll what?" Jess challenged optimistically.

"I'm ... gonna ... kill ya." I finished terribly, nowhere near convincing.

As a result of this, I almost gave myself a face-palm and Jessica's smile transformed into a satisfied smirk.

"I didn't know you had such a cute little lady-like scream, Michael. Guess you never really know someone unless you scare the pants off 'em!" She declared teasingly.

* * *

 _ **X Witty (Gotta try harder, Jess.)/Grumpy (Fine. You win.) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Witty**_

* * *

I knew plenty of people who would act grumpy in this situation, but I knew that Jess didn't mean any harm. She was only trying to have some fun, and even though I wasn't fully over the fact that she had scared me into thinking that something horrible happened to her ... I wasn't going to hold that against her. Besides, my older brothers had put me through pranks that were a hell of a lot worse than this.

So, I put on a charming smile and spoke wittily, "As far as I can tell, my pants are still on."

"Oh, is that so?" Jess questioned with a bright glow in her beautiful eyes.

"Yeah." I replied, nodding. "Looks like you'll have to try harder."

"A challenge 'ey?" Jessica started striding down the trail with me following, confidence in every step. "Well I hope you're strapped in, cause you're about to feel the full force of my mind melting thrill skills."

We walked in silence after that, grins on both of our faces. I could see the bridge that I remembered from last summer starting to come into view, constructed over another river that was accompanied by a small waterfall. However, along the way, something from the corner of my eye caught my attention. It made my smile waver as a series of unsettling memories came back to my mind. I absently approached a slim tree, where it was located: the carving of a heart that contained the message _M+E._

I stared at the tree blankly ... and for a split second, I wondered why I wasn't feeling the urge to frown. I knew exactly who had carved this and the dark story behind it, but I didn't necessarily feel upset. Maybe it was because the story was so damn difficult to believe, even though I was there to confirm that it actually happened. Either way, I had made a promise to this person that I would _never_ tell anyone the backstory of this carving, but before I could keep walking, Jess appeared behind me.

"Well, well, well. Look at this fun little lovebird carving." She spoke up, making me internally grimace. "An 'M' and an 'E.' Any idea what that could stand for?"

I turned to look at her. "Uhh ... Could be any- you know ... 'Elizabeth and ... Myron'?" I remarked in the most nonchalant voice that I could pull off.

Jessica breathed an amused laugh. "Or maybe 'Michael and Emily?'" She inquired, causing my pale brown orbs to widen slightly. "Oh relax, I just didn't realize you were so sappy. Pun intended!"

There was a brief moment of hesitation in which I just stood there, staring at my girlfriend and thinking. She _actually_ thought that _I_ was the one who had carved this for me and Emily! To be fair, this _was_ the main place where I took Em for picnics, stargazing, and ... certain other activities when we were going out; but I truly wasn't the one who had made this heart. I had to make a choice here ... either I told Jess who _really_ carved this heart, or I took the blame for something that I didn't do.

* * *

 _ **X Take Blame (Fine, it was me.)/Tell Truth (Listen, it wasn't me...) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Tell Truth**_

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Mike's Character Traits: Honest +1 (6/10), Charitable -1 (5/10)**

* * *

I refused to look away from my beige-blonde babe as I dragged out a long breath. "Listen, babe ... it wasn't me who made this carving." I stated with only a tad bit of remorse glimmering in my eyes.

"Oh, come on, Michael. You really don't have to try tiptoeing around this." Jess chuckled with a toothy grin decorating her face. "After all, you tossed away that skanky rhinestone and found yourself a glamorous diamond. There's no reason for you to pretend that you didn't do this to the tree."

"I'm _not_ pretending, Jess." I retorted in a much more serious voice, staring directly into her eyes. "It _really_ wasn't me. This carving ... it was created by somebody else."

My girlfriend's smile vanished from her face, only to be replaced by a mask of confusion. However, as soon as I finished my last sentence, her bright green eyes filled with venom and she crossed her arms over her chest like she'd just caught someone rummaging through her purse.

"Ew, gross." She groaned, now wanting to get this conversation over with. "Was it Little Miss Attention Whore, aka Emily?"

I shook my head and answered truthfully, "No, it wasn't either of us."

"Then who was it?" Jess asked with curiosity starting to slip into her voice.

"It..." I dropped my attention down to my boots and straightened my lips, right before I looked up at her again. "It was Ethan who made this carving."

In less than a second, Jessica's face morphed into a much more disdainful stare, as if she hadn't been smiling and joking around with me just a minute before. "Of all people on the planet, the freak of nature marked this tree? You've _got_ to be kidding me." She scoffed, rolling her eyes in disbelief. "Please don't tell me the 'M' stands for 'Mother Nature' or 'Mother Earth.'"

I let out another heavy breath, sliding my unoccupied hand into my pocket. "No, it stands for his ex-girlfriend. Her name was Melanie."

Jess narrowed her eyes in thought and slightly tilted her head at me. "Are ... are you _serious,_ Mike? That aura-obsessed nutcase actually had a _girlfriend?_ " A couple of cold snickers leaked out of her mouth as her lips twisted into an insulting grin. "I bet this 'Melanie' was only with him in order to win a bet. You would have be tripping on every single drug in all of existence in order to willingly date somebody like Ethan Miller."

"Whoa, Jess..." I maintained a calm tone, but the disbelief was noticeable in my eyes. "That's sort of uncalled for, don't you think?"

My girlfriend rested her hand on her hip, looked off in the distance, and then locked her attention back on me. "So, how come he hasn't ever talked about 'Melanie'?" She inquired, not acknowledging my question. "The basket-case couldn't handle getting his kooky ass dumped or something?"

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Let's just say ... things ended pretty badly."

That was an understatement. Ethan and Melanie had only been dating for four months, but that was long enough for Ethan to claim that he had found his soulmate. He even lost his virginity to her shortly after their first month together. Unfortunately, on one tragic day, their relationship shattered.

It happened five weeks before the previous winter getaway, in which Ethan had blown up my phone with a series of texts. At first, when I saw his name on the collar ID, I decided to ignore all of the messages since I was caught up in juggling a lot of Class President duties and last minute homework. However, when my phone kept buzzing nonstop for at least fifteen minutes straight, I finally agreed to open the texts. They began with things like " _Mike, are you there?_ " and carried on with " _I've been getting harsh mellows from Melanie lately..._ "

Turns out, Melanie hadn't been to school for a few days and she wasn't answering her phone. So, Ethan asked me through text message if I could pick him up and give him a ride over to her house. I'll admit, I sent a few lazy texts in an attempt to talk him out of wanting to check on her; but I really did believe that she was just sick. Ethan wouldn't have it, telling me that he was getting "dark vibes" about the whole situation and that he _really_ needed a ride. Long story short, I went ... even though I wasn't looking forward to using up a majority of the fuel that was left in my gas tank.

When we pulled up to the front of Melanie's house, I got this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. I didn't know what it was, but I didn't like it ... and it caused me to put my car in park in order to follow Ethan inside. The front door was unlocked, which only made the feeling in my gut even more unpleasant. However, before I could even think about opening my mouth to tell Ethan about this, he had already raced up the spiral staircase to go check on his girlfriend, calling out her name the entire time. Within seconds after that, it happened ... I heard Ethan yell out in a horrified voice, " _Mike, call an ambulance!_ "

In the blink of an eye, I bounded up the stairs and charged down the hallway that was cluttered with framed photos of Melanie and her family. When I made it to the room where Ethan's voice had come from, I could've sworn that I felt my heart jump all the way to the other side of the globe. It looked like an actual murder scene, in which Melanie was spewed across the floor with both of her arms sliced open. A few small bottles of different prescriptions were also spilled out around her and a bloody razor blade was tucked between her middle and index fingers. I'd never seen anything so gruesome before in my whole life. I literally had to cover my mouth to prevent myself from vomiting.

Ethan had Melanie's arm swung around his shoulders, trying to lean her back up as he yelled her name some more and made promises to her that she was going to be okay. I reluctantly entered the bedroom to try pulling him away, but he kept clinging to Melanie's pale corpse. He stroked her hair and rocked her in his arms, ignoring the lifeless look in her eyes as he urged me to call nine-one-one. I did ... and when it was confirmed that Melanie had (for some unknown reason) committed suicide, Ethan vowed to never fall in love again.

He made this tree into his own personal contract, in which the heart with his and Melanie's initials acted as his signature. Then, he made me promise to never tell anyone about it; but even though Jessica was, in fact, the Queen of Gossip, I knew that she would never bring Ethan up in any conversation unless it was to ridicule him. Besides ... Ethan treated Melanie the exact same way he treated his sister now. It's like they _never_ existed to him.

"How about we keep on moving?" I suggested, putting on a small smile as I decided to bury those memories. "Our cozy love den can't be much farther from here and I'm _beyond_ ready to show you what a real man looks like ... if you catch my drift." I winked suggestively after my final word.

That was all it took to get Jess to forget about Ethan. She broke out into a flirtatious grin and spoke sexily, "Oh, really? Well, that's great news, considering these ladies have been waiting quite a long time to be introduced to you." She gestured to her breasts at the mention of 'the ladies,' making the tips of my ears grow a little hot.

"Believe me, I've been looking forward to meeting them for just as long." I swooned with satisfaction dripping from my voice.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's not keep them waiting anymore than they already have to." Jess giggled, turning away from me. "Let's go, Casanova."

We continued onward, only to come to an abrupt stop. I accidentally bumped into Jessica, who had stopped walking due to something catching her attention.

"Everything alright, babe?" I asked as I cocked an eyebrow in confusion.

"Mike, look." Full of alarm, my girlfriend pointed in a certain direction. "It's _another_ one of those creepy tiki things."

With no hesitation, I followed her gaze and saw that she was right. The beam from our flashlight landed on another wooden artifact, which was lying in a crease between one of the trees and a medium-sized pile of snow. I could see that it had a spooky face, consisting of large Egyptian-like eyes and clenched teeth with fangs in the front.

"Good God, I'm really starting to wonder if these things can multiply the way humans do." I commented with a sarcastic roll of my eyes. "I swear, it's like a demented version of an Easter egg hunt on this mountain tonight."

I approached the tree with Jess following so closely to the point where it was like she had become my shadow. Then, without beating around the bush, I knelt down, grabbed the wooden object, lifted it up out of the snow, and turned it over. Squiggles decorated the back, accompanied by the same outline of a butterfly and dull yellow paint.

* * *

 ** _Totem Found: Guidance Totem_**

 ** _Information: Shows the image of a waterwheel with a female pulling herself up onto a ledge in the background. Three males are following her._**

* * *

I emitted a low groan and sat the strange artifact back down, deciding to pay no attention to the impure feeling that it sent through my stomach.

"Let's go, Jess. We don't need these ... _things_ ... cutting in on our valuable time." I stated judgmentally, as if the ominous statue could actually hear me.

Jessica instantly nodded. "Agreed. Lead the way, Romeo."

I obliged, beginning to take brisk steps across the long bridge with my beige-blonde babe following just paces behind me. While doing this, I guided the flashlight in a variety of directions to see if I could spot Ethan anywhere and Jess stared at the waterfall in amazement. The roaring of the water made my eardrums ache and my face was starting to feel numb from how much the temperature was dropping; but even I had to admit that our surroundings were breathtaking.

"Waaaaaoooow ... it's kind of like a real winter wonderland out here now..." Jess sighed happily.

"Hey girl, you know I hook you up!" I remarked with a bright smile.

My girlfriend chuckled. "Mmm-hmm."

We made it across the bridge and came across two more sets of stairs that were embedded in the slope. As soon as I ascended up the first one ... something happened that caught me and Jess off guard. A loud, unsettling noise echoed through the air, causing me to freeze in my tracks and knit my eyebrows together in concern. Then, after standing still for a mere three seconds, I pursued up the second pair of steps with Jess still following.

"The hell is that?" I whispered uneasily.

Jessica rubbed her arms, but I couldn't tell if she was doing it because she was cold or scared. "Was it someone screaming?" She asked with some hesitance.

A breathed a tiny, nervous laugh and tried to be reassuring. "Naw, no, probably just a ... squirrel or ... something."

"Brr." Jess shuddered. "Creep-town."

We continued following the trail, suddenly a lot more eager to get to the cabin. I was starting to get the freaky feeling that somebody was watching us as I shined the flashlight back and forth. Then, when out of nowhere...

"Shh...!" I jerked to a stop, overhearing what sounded like a twig breaking in the distance.

Jess immediately ceased in her tracks and whispered, "...What?"

"Did you hear that?" I asked quietly.

"...No?" Jess replied, shaking her head.

I took a few wary steps forward and stood in front of some huge rocks that were in front of the treeline. "Hello?" I called out, still feeling like we were being watched. "Someone there? ... Ethan? Is that you?"

Jessica scoffed, seeming less afraid at the mention of Ethan's name. Then, she yelled in a serious tone, "I swear to God, Ethan, if you're trying to mess with us right now, I'm going to kill you!"

There was no response, in which I cautiously bent down and scooped up a snowball. While preparing myself to throw it, slight hesitation came over me. After all, this snowball felt like it was compacted with more ice than snow, and that sure as hell would leave a mark from the distance that I was throwing it from. If this unknown source really _was_ Ethan, I had the risk of hurting him...

* * *

 _ **X Throw Snowball/Drop Snowball X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Throw Snowball**_

* * *

...but at the same time, Ethan more than likely would've replied to me and Jess when we were calling his name. This _couldn't_ have been him, so I pulled my arm back and threw the snowball with mild force in the direction of a tree. It disappeared from view, going through a couple of low branches. Within seconds after that, a large deer came bounding out of nowhere. It jumped between me and Jess with a loud noise, sending us both to the ground with startled shrieks.

"WHOA!" I screamed, my pulse feeling hot from how fast my heart was pounding. "Dammit!"

Luckily, the snow softened our falls and instead of acknowledging us any further, the elk darted off out of sight. After that, my girlfriend and I clambered back up onto our feet, breathing hard.

"That thing almost killed us!" Jessica exclaimed, terrified once again.

I pointed the flashlight in the direction where the elk had pounced out from. "Holy damn! What the hell is going on with the animals out here tonight?" I grumbled, right before I glanced back at my beige-blonde babe. "Come on, let's get out of here before it comes back with some of its buddies."

"Right behind you, beefcake." Jess automatically agreed, dusting some snow off the back of her pants.

We resumed our hike, deciding to ignore our encounter with the deer like it never happened. Eventually, I saw a flickering light break in the distance. At first, I had high hopes that it was the guest cabin that Jess and I had been working our asses off to get to. Unfortunately, when we made it up the slight incline and the path evened out again, it came to my realization that it was just a horribly rundown shed. The middle section of the roof was missing, the wood was this disgusting mixed shade of pale green/murky brown, and tattered tarps had been used to cover up only some of the damages.

"Charming." I said with false interest, right before I guided the flashlight along the ground and noticed what looked like another pair of footprints. They were only vague outlines, considering the falling snow must've been covering them up, but ... it really did look like somebody else had been on this path recently. I wonder who...?

"It's _everything_ you described, Michael." Jess remarked when the shed came into her view.

I cocked an eyebrow and glanced over my shoulder at her, forgetting all about the third set of footprints. "Wait, what?" I inquired, confused.

"The cabin." She mocked as she continued to dust some snow off her jeans. "I love it."

With a small roll of my eyes, I turned back around and sarcastically said, "Yeah..."

The two of us strolled across a couple of planks that were positioned over a stream; but at the sound of my beige-blonde babe letting out a groan all of the sudden, I ceased in my tracks and turned around to face her. She was examining her hands with her nose crinkled and eyes narrowed in disgust, paying no mind to the snowflakes that were hitting her in the face and melting against her skin.

"Is there a problem, angel face?" I asked with confusion laced around my voice again.

"Yeah, I just realized that I have dirt all over my hands." Jess replied, displeased. She turned her hands over, showing me the smudges of dirt that were dotted across her porcelain fingers and palms. "It must've got on me from holding those antlers earlier. Mind if we take a quick little pit stop here so I can wash my hands?"

"Nah, it's fine. You go right on ahead." I looked over at the shed with curious eyes, right before I locked my gaze back on my girlfriend. "And while you do that, I'm going to take a gander inside this shack."

Jess squinted at me inquisitively. "Um ... _why_ exactly would you want to do that?"

"I just want to be thorough during this search for Ethan." I replied truthfully. "We've been looking all over the place for him ever since we left the lodge and ... well ... he really _could_ be anywhere."

Jessica drew out a long, heavy sigh and shook her head to herself, not bothering to waste much more of her breath on this conversation. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Mike ... that is, of course, after you make love to me." She concluded.

With that, my beige-blonde babe sashayed over to the stream and I approached the gaping hole that was busted through the shack's wall. I poked my head in, listening to the sound of the dirty tarps flapping in the wind as I carefully examined my surroundings.

"Ethan?" I queried, moving the flashlight from left to right. "Are you in here?"

Of course, there was nobody in the shack. Aside from some old-fashioned cabinets, a series of abandoned cooking utensils, and a group of chains and meat hooks that were suspending from the ceiling, there was nothing else in here. By this point, I wasn't even surprised that Ethan's whereabouts were still a mystery.

"Damn ... where the hell is that kid?" I muttered under my breath with some annoyance slipping across my tongue. However, just as I was about to retreat outside ... something on the table caught my eye.

I approached it, causing the decrepit floorboards to creak beneath my feet. That's when I noticed that the item that had sparked some interest in me was some sort of gas mask. It almost looked like one that an exterminator or maybe even a miner would wear, sporting a single broken eyepiece and the name _Billy Bates_ that was written inside of it.

" _Huh ... this looks kinda neat._ " I thought to myself as I picked the mask up from the table and studied it from multiple angles. " _I wonder what this is doing out here...?_ "

* * *

 _ **\+ CLUE FOUND - OLD MASK +**_

 _ **Note: An old mining gas mask. The name inside says it belonged to a miner called Billy Bates.**_

* * *

 ** _X Scare (Sweet revenge!)/Show (Check out this mask.) X_**

 ** _Choice Chosen: Show_**

* * *

Feeling genuinely fascinated by my discovery, I decided to take it out of the shed to show Jessica. I'll admit, I _was_ kind of tempted to get some sweet revenge on her for pranking me earlier; but I decided against it since there was something that felt _really_ off about these woods tonight. Plus, I knew how much she hated being the victim of pranks and the last thing I wanted to do was risk getting her pissed off at me.

I sauntered over to the river, where my girlfriend was knelt down and swooshing her hands through the water.

"Hey, check out this mask." I said.

Jess stood and turned, wiping her hands off on her jacket. "Ew, why?" She asked with an unnerved glint in her eyes.

I chuckled, still interested. "It's so weird, right?"

Jess straightened her lips, shuddering as she replied, "It freaks me out."

"I think you like it." With my lips molded into a teasing smirk, I lifted the mask up to my face and struck a sexy pose. "Wanna make out?"

"Ugh!" Jessica cringed, shaking her head while looking away from me. "Mike, _stop!_ "

After experiencing what it was like to peek through the misty eyepieces of the mask, I agreed to lower it from my face. "Alright, your loss." I declared, right before I tossed the item over to the snowy bench that was placed in front of the shack and mumbled to myself, "This mask is cool."

My beige-blonde babe and I continued our journey, leaving the spooky shed behind us. Along a way, a piece of me thought about the chains and meat hooks that I'd seen hanging in the corner ... and I couldn't help but wonder _why_ they were there in the first place. Although, at the same time, I really didn't want to know. Those things gave me flashbacks to my first ever horror movie, _Texas Chainsaw Massacre._ Needless to say, I _really_ didn't want to think about those meat hooks or chains for another second ... so, I pushed them to the far back of my mind and focused on manning the flashlight.

"You think we're going to have anymore distractions?" Jess wondered.

The second after that question left her mouth, a deer pounced out from the treeline dead ahead and hurried down the path like it was being chased by something.

"Ho!" I yelped, feeling myself have another mini heart attack.

"EEK!" Jessica screeched at the exact same time.

I turned myself slightly at the waist and pointed the flashlight at her, watching as she drew in startled breaths. "Uh ... I think that answers that." I noted as I also worked on catching my breath a little.

Then, shortly after the two of us started following the trail again ... a freaky, high-pitched shriek filled the air. There was no way in hell that a human could make a noise like _that._ No, it sounded more like an insanely ravenous animal that was pissed off at its prey ... even though I've _never_ heard any animal make that sound before.

"What is that?" Jess asked worriedly.

I paled a little, overhearing what sounded like the strained wail of another animal as I quietly replied, "Not sure I wanna know."

Jess and I then came to the top of a small hill and began to descend down the slope. When we reached the bottom, the beam from our flashlight landed on something that we weren't prepared for. A poor elk was lying in the snow, head resting against a log with plead in its eyes and bloody lacerations covering its neck. At the sight of it, my stomach bunched up into a disturbed knot and a pitiful expression formed on my face.

"Damn." I whispered, watching the deer shakily breathe.

My girlfriend pouted. "It's horrible."

I softly shook my head in regret. "I don't think it's gonna make it."

* * *

 _ **X Comfort Deer/Kill Deer X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Comfort Deer**_

* * *

The last thing I wanted to do to this deer was cause it anymore pain than it was already in, especially with Jessica right there. So, I decided to do my best in easing it in its final moments of life.

"Hey, bud ... hey, buddy..." I spoke as soothingly as possible, approaching the helpless animal.

"Oh my God, the poor thing..." Jess sadly cooed, in which I knelt down and ever so gently began to stroke the deer's face.

I whispered sympathetically, "It's okay ... it's okay..."

Jessica placed her hand on my shoulder, almost looking like she was about to shed some tears. "Mike, it's in _so_ much pain." She said.

"It'll be over soon ... okay, buddy?" I promised as the elk's breathing started to become a lot softer and slower. "It'll be over soon..."

Suddenly, out of nowhere, another piercing scream filled the air and the deer was yanked at an unbelievable speed into the shadows.

"AHH!" Jess shrieked, flinging her hands up to her mouth in absolute terror.

"WHOA-" I collapsed to the ground from shock, but immediately scrambled back up onto my feet. "RUN! RUN!"

With no hesitation, my girlfriend and I used the largest amount of stamina in all of existence to run for our lives. The sound of more ferocious shrieks and hisses could be heard in the _very_ near distance behind us as we bolted at the speed of lightning. We refused to look back the entire time, feeling the crisp mountain air torment our lungs and intense fear charging through every single vein in our bodies.

"Oh my God, what the hell was that?!" Jess cried out.

"I don't know-!" I yelled back.

Up ahead, Jessica spotted an obstacle in our path. "There's a bridge! Over hear! Over hear! Mike!" She hollered over the sharp wind as she leaped over the gap in the damaged bridge and turned to see me.

However, just as I was beginning to tell myself that this situation couldn't _possibly_ get any worse, the old planks decided to break as soon as I jumped over. Courtesy of this, I toppled to the side and landed directly in the river. The water was _beyond_ freezing, soaking my jeans and caking every single piece of my clothing in slush.

"Oh, sh- Oh, shit!" I cursed, already starting to shiver as I clambered back up onto my feet again. "Shit!"

Jess wildly gestured for me to hurry up as she bellowed, "Get over here!"

I quickly climbed out of the rut and continued charging down the trail with my beige-blonde babe, still hearing the terrifying wails of whatever was following us.

"It's a bear, it's gotta be a bear!" I proclaimed as I smacked a tree branch out of my way.

"Oh, look! Look!" Jess exclaimed.

We both came to a sharp halt, arriving at a split in the path. On the right side, the trail continued with tangled roots poking out from beneath the snow and a few stray branches lying across the surface. The left side, on the other hand, provided a steep hill that could be used as a shortcut.

* * *

 _ **X Risk Shortcut/Follow Path X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Risk Shortcut**_

* * *

I didn't think twice before racing towards the rocky slope with the vicious screams from what _had_ to be a bear still echoing in my brain. We didn't have enough time to run up the path and risk getting snagged or tripped by any of the obstacles. So, I quickly jumped up onto the first slippery rock and gestured for Jess to do the same. She immediately obeyed, crawling up and giving me her arm after I made it up onto the second rock. I pulled her up with me and the two of us hurried on our hands and knees through the snow. Then, when I was able to plant the sole of my shoe against another protruding stone, I reached my hand down for Jessica to grab it. When she did, I hauled her up the rest of the way and the two of us _finally_ made it to the top of the slope, where the guest cabin was located.

Unfortunately, the creature's loud shrieks made it clear that it was still right on our tails.

Jess withdrew the key that Josh had given us from her pocket as we bolted over to the cabin and trotted up the stairs. I made it to the door first and began to feel just slightly relieved ... until I heard a small _thud._ I quickly snapped my head in the direction of the noise, only to see Jess now lying face-down against the porch. She had slipped on some of the ice and dropped the key ... and I could hear the freaky snarls of the creature getting even _closer._

* * *

 ** _X Help Jess/Grab Key X_**

 ** _Choice Chosen: Help Jess_**

* * *

With my heart practically in my throat, I charged back across the porch, knelt down, and grabbed my girlfriend's arm.

"Come on, we gotta go!" I urged, trying to pull her up.

Jess smacked my hand away from her and bellowed, "I am-!"

I then hurried over to where the key was and snatched it up, silently thanking God for making it quick to spot in the moonlight. After that, I bolted back over to the door, feeling almost all of the muscles in my legs aching as I hurriedly chipped away the few bits of ice that were frozen to the lock.

"Mike, get the key, get it open!" Jess ordered as another shrilly squeal echoed from somewhere in the distance.

At last, I jammed the key into the keyhole, turned the knob as far as it could go, and pushed the door open. As soon as I did, the two of us hurried inside and I slammed the door shut behind us, securing the locks once again immediately after. We were both desperately trying to recharge our lungs and recover from the fear that had overpowered us for the past minute.

"OH my GOD, that was close!" Jess wheezed out, placing her hands on her hips.

At the same time, I slumped over and rested my hands on my thighs. "Nah..." I breathed.

"What?!" Jessica demanded.

I straightened myself back up, still working on catching my breath. "Had it under control. Whole time." I assured.

My girlfriend giggled between breaths and gave my arm a playful slap. "Bullshit." She revoked.

"No, hundred percent." My chest was still sore from my lack of deep breaths. "Hundred percent. Hundred and ten."

Jess brushed some stray strands of her hair out of her face, panting out, "Holy crap, I feel like I just ran a marathon!"

"I think we kinda did." I joked, lightly laughing.

My beige-blonde babe walked over to the frost-covered window. "Was it a bear?" She inquired, peeking out through the glass.

"Yeah." I replied, nodding. "Gotta be. Things are crazy fast."

Jess gave a vague shrug with slight worry starting to taint her voice, "I mean, I didn't see it-"

"Hey." I spoke confidently in an attempt to relax her. "Thing's not gonna come barging in, I promise."

"How can you be sure?" Jess questioned, turning to me skeptically.

I placed my hand on my chest. "Cause I'm pretty sure bears don't know how to open cabin doors."

My girlfriend pointed a finger at me and remarked, "I've seen them open car doors."

"What?" I furrowed my brow at her in disbelief. "Where?"

A sprinkle of embarrassment appeared in Jessica's bright green orbs. "On the internet." She answered with some hesitance.

"Really?" I couldn't help but roll my eyes slightly, and I gestured around the cabin. "Okay ... Well, this isn't the internet, Jess! Alright? This is real life! And I promise you that no bear or anything else is gonna open that cabin door."

Jess sighed, pretending to examine the pale pink polish on her nails. "I guess you're right." She said, pacing around a little. "Okay. I'm almost feeling relaxed again. _Almost._ "

She then approached the light switch that was beside the door and flipped it a couple of times. However, when I looked up to see the lights, none of them were turning on. No matter how many times Jessica flipped the switch, they refused to work.

"Hmph. Typical." Jess grumbled, right before she walked over to one of the only two couches that were provided in the room and crossed her arms in an attempt to warm up. "Brr. This is _not_ the cozy chalet I was promised, Mike."

I faintly nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's a bit drafty or something, right?"

I was honestly surprised that the guest cabin looked like this. It definitely wasn't the way I'd imagined it, especially since Josh had made it sound like the most romantic place in the whole universe to take a girl when he described it to me over the phone. Although, to be fair, it _had_ been a year since anybody's been up to the mountain and the lodge itself was big enough to hold _plenty_ of guests. This place was barely needed half of the time.

* * *

 ** _..BUTTERFLY EFFECT UPDATE.._**

 ** _(Be Her Hero.) -_** **Mike came to Jessica's aid immediately; Jessica appreciated Mike's heroism; Mike continued to impress Jess...**

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Mike's Character Traits: Brave -1 (6/10)**

 **Jessica's Character Traits: Brave -1 (3/10)**

* * *

"Well, there is a _fireplace._ " Jess pointed out, snapping me out of my thoughts.

A seductive grin curled up on the corners of my lips as I started to slowly walk around the couch. "We don't need a fire to heat things up." I flirted.

My girlfriend rolled her eyes and spoke condescendingly. "Michael, I am a lady and a lady needs a _proper, romantic_ setting."

There was a brief pause in the conversation, in which I cocked an eyebrow in confusion. Then, I muttered, "Oh ... kay...?"

Jess turned to look at me, in which I leaned up against the back of the old sofa. "A lady would like to cuddle up with her man by a nice cozy fire bathed in atmospheric mood lighting." She explained in a tone that gave it away that I should've already known this.

"Right." I mumbled, nodding. "It'll get plenty toasty once we're rubbing up against each other..."

Jessica held her hand up. "Mike?"

"Yeah?" I whispered charmingly.

She remained unmoved, emphasizing her point. "Fire. And mood lighting."

I dropped my head and let out an inaudible sigh. "Yes ... M'lady." I said as I backed up from the couch and began to point the flashlight around the cabin.

As this happened, I directed the beam over to the door and stared at the small window that was built in to it. My mind started to wander, thinking about how the high-pitched shrieks had suddenly stopped and hoping that Ethan wasn't still out there in the woods somewhere. Don't get me wrong, I _did_ feel a tad bit guilty for not being able to find him during the hike, but Jess and I would've frozen out asses off if we kept searching. Plus, it wasn't like we _enjoyed_ being chased by that bear or whatever it was. Maybe there was a chance that Ethan had found his way to the lodge and was currently with the others. By this point, that's all I could do: hope for the best.

"Oh, shit! Damn!" Jess suddenly hissed, patting her pockets. "Mike!"

I locked my eyes on her. "What?"

She checked her jacket and exclaimed, "Ahhhhh oh crap!"

"What!?" I repeated myself with much more confusion trickling through my voice.

"Where is it!?" Jess cried as she leaped up from the couch and began to check the cushions.

I held my arms out at my sides. "What! What's wrong!?"

She groaned. "Gone! It is _gone,_ okay?"

"Jess. Slow down." I spoke calmly, hoping that would help her stop panicking. "What is gone?"

My girlfriend peeked underneath the couch, snapping, "My freakin' phone, Sherlock!"

"You can't find it?" I questioned.

"Crap! No!" Jess wailed as she straightened herself back up and smacked her arms down at her sides. "I must have dropped it outside!"

"Ahh ... shit..."

Jessica got down on her hands and knees, checking underneath the sofa again. "I can't lose my phone, my parents will _kill_ me." She panicked.

"You can always get a new one-" I suggested, trying to lessen her stress.

Jess stood up again. "That's, like, my _fourth_ one this year."

I grimaced, seeing why this was such a problem to her now. "Okay ... okay ... well, I'll help you look for it." I said as I bent down and started shining the flashlight through the thin crack that was provided beneath the couch.

"It's gotta be outside." Jess repeated after a moment of silence.

I poked back up from behind the sofa, failing to spot anything but a couple of dust-bunnies down there. "Yeah ... I don't think we wanna go out there right now with the bear ... or whatever-it-is..." I pointed out.

"Ugh..." Jessica sighed and slumped her shoulders as she resumed her spot on the couch. "Fine..."

Just then, as I continued to guide the flashlight along the furniture, the beam landed on something that grabbed my attention. Close to the corner of the room, there was this small stand table that had two candles and some type of book lying on it. Out of curiosity, I wandered over to the stand, sat the flashlight down, and grabbed the book to examine it. The cover was lightly sprinkled with dust and titled _Native American Myths & Legends. _Now, I wasn't the type of person who necessarily "admired" reading, but I flipped the book open and hastily scanned the first page anyway.

* * *

 **The mother bear returned. She was enraged and attacked the merchant, but he managed to escape with her cubs' pelts.**

 **A mighty eagle saw this, and swooped at the merchant as he ran through the trees, but a gunshot frightened the eagle away.**

 **The merchant was leaving the forest, and was gleeful, thinking of the money that would soon be his.**

 **But a great tree fell, blocking his way. He had to turn back and find another route.**

 **And that is where he met the bear once more.**

 **The Great Spirit stopped him that day, and the bear had its revenge.**

 **To anger the earth is to sacrifice your life. The Great Spirit sees all. Remember that, and be wary. Respect is the way of the tribe.**

* * *

" _What the hell is all of this mumbo jumbo?_ " I wondered, raising a brow. " _I swear, this sounds like stuff Ethan would write._ "

I turned to the next page and saw something that surprised me a little. There were images of very familiar symbols printed on the paper. Two of them, an arrow positioned on a bow and a creepy skull with what looked like antlers growing out of its head, had been painted on the one wall that Jess and I had seen while hiking through the mine shaft. Then, the last image was of none other than the butterfly silhouette that had been designed on the backs of each of those weird little statues that were scattered all around the mountain.

My jaw dropped a little as I quickly read the slightly faded passage.

* * *

 _ **Native American Signs and Symbols**_

 _ **Native American hunters used symbols and signs scratched on to trees or daubed on to walls to communicate with other tribe members. Many symbols conveyed religious or mystical beliefs, others warned of danger or offered protection, and some told of good hunting grounds. Most symbols were specific to the tribe that used it and would be unrecognizable to other tribes.**_

 _ **Shown below and opposite are some symbols used by tribes in North America and Canada.**_

 _ **Hunting Symbol:**_

 _ **Good hunting ground**_

 _ **Butterfly Symbol:**_

 _ **A vision or dream of the future**_

 _ **Skull Symbol:**_

 _ **A ward or spell protecting against evil spirits**_

* * *

 _ **\+ CLUE FOUND - NATIVE AMERICAN BOOK +**_

 _ **Note:** **A Native American Book in the guest cabin. There is a section showing symbols which the Native Americans used to keep evil spirits away.**_

* * *

"Looks like we weren't the only ones to meet the friendly neighborhood terror bears." I informed, rereading the meanings behind the symbols.

Jessica shuddered, rubbing her hands together. "That _does not_ make me feel any better."

I narrowed my eyes in thought, unable to come up with an answer as to who had set up that historical shrine in the mine shaft. Nonetheless, I knew that I had much more important duties to attend to at the moment and decided to push any questions that I had to far back of my mind. Then, after I placed the book back down on the old stand and retrieved the flashlight, I turned and spotted something that was _much_ more intriguing. Mounted on the wall, a hunting rifle was positioned on a shelf.

My eyes glowed in amazement as I briskly walked over to the shelf. "Ohh, Jess!" I breathed, admiring every inch of the gun as I grabbed it. "Look at this."

"Is it a fire?" Jess asked with a touch of sarcasm.

I chuckled and took a few steps towards the couch. "No. _Way_ cooler."

* * *

 _ **X Show (Check out this gun.)/Scare (Hands over your head!) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Show**_

* * *

With my beige-blonde babe now watching, I struck a pose with the rifle perfectly positioned in my hands. "Huh? How you like me now?" I teased, truly feeling like a sexy badass in that very moment.

However, Jess didn't seem the tiniest bit interested in my antics or the gun. With a huff, she scooted back against the back of the couch and rubbed one of the veins in her forehead.

"Oh my God." She muttered. "Why do guns make men go _completely_ bonkers?"

"Puh-KOW! Puh-KOW!" I posed again, pointing the gun towards the ceiling while placing my other hand on my hip. "Nothing?"

My girlfriend shook her head and gave a tiny shrug. The look on her face made it evident that she couldn't believe that I'd just asked her that.

"Right..." With a sigh, I returned the rifle to its shelf. "She'll never understand what we have together."

Jess rolled her eyes, unamused. "Unless you want to make out with an ice sculpture, I suggest you get a fire going. _Pronto._ "

"Don't worry, babe. Your man's on it." I assured as I turned my back on the gun and continued to wave the flashlight around.

That's when I noticed something on the other side of the room. I strolled across the floorboards, listening to my heavy boots softly echo with every step I took. Then, when I made it over to where I saw the new item that had caught my eye, it came to my realization that it was a fuse box.

"Nice!" I said, congratulating myself as I pulled open the little tarnished compartment. "This'll 'lighten' up the mood a little."

I pinched the red lever between my fingers and pushed it up with a smile. Unfortunately, instead of turning on the lights, the box malfunctioned and vibrant sparks shot out like a small firework.

"Ooh!" I grimaced as I quickly yanked my hand away.

"AHH!" Jess yelped at the exact same time.

I immediately looked over at her, ignoring the faint stinging sensation that was tingling through my fingers. "Hey!" I called worriedly. "What, you okay?!"

Jessica was staring at me like I'd just attempted walking through a wall. "What are you doing?!" She demanded.

"It's - it's the lights." I explained, pointing the flashlight at the fuse box to show her what I meant.

Jess scoffed. "I know it's the lights, dummy, you _broke_ them!"

"It's probably faulty wiring or something."

" _You've_ got faulty wiring."

With a small sigh, I closed the fuse box back up and tried to think of other ways to create the "mood lighting" that Jess desired so badly. Then, as if it was meant to happen at that very second, I spotted a small electric lantern that was sitting beside the fireplace.

" _Huh ... t_ _hat'll work, I guess._ " I told myself mentally as I walked over to where the lantern was located, knelt down in front of it, and switched it on. A bright white glow was immediately activated, gleaming against the stone floor of the fireplace and making me squint to prevent being blinded.

"Ahh, this'll take care of the mood lighting." I declared proudly, right before I pulled open the squeaky iron door of the fireplace and stacked two logs on top of some broken twigs that were already positioned inside. "Alright. Logs are ready to go. Just need a match."

"Well, maybe there's some down that hall there." Jess remarked, pointing at the single narrow hallway that the cabin provided. "You better hurry up and check before we die of hypothermia. Chop, chop, beefcake."

I softly replied with my same phrase from earlier, "Yes ... M'lady."

After that, with a few of the floorboards creaking beneath my weight, I began to walk down the dusty hall to search for matches. The beam from the flashlight bounced against the bare walls as I guided it back and forth. There was a single, wide-open doorway that led somewhere else; but before I could walk through it, two framed pictures caught my attention from where they were positioned on a cheap wooden table at the very end of the hallway. I instantly froze in my tracks and carefully picked up the first one to examine it, pursing my lips at the memory it triggered.

It was a black and white image of Hannah in her tennis uniform, showing off her little butterfly tattoo and wearing that gold locket that she used to be so proud of. Despite already knowing the event in which this photo was taken, I turned it over to reveal a message neatly written across the back.

* * *

 ** _Hannah winning Bronze -_**

 ** _Alberta Invitational 2013_**

* * *

 _ **\+ CLUE FOUND - TENNIS PHOTO +**_

 _ **Note:** **A framed photo of Hannah playing tennis.**_

* * *

I lightly bit down on my bottom lip, feeling slight guilt beginning to leak through my veins. I remembered this exact tennis tournament because Hannah wouldn't stop talking and blowing up her Facebook with various posts that centered around how excited she was for it. Plus, she'd invited the whole group to come see her play; but instead of watching the game, Emily and I had snuck off to the bathroom to have sex. I realize now how much of a douche move that was, but ... in my defense, tennis wasn't exactly the most interesting sport. It was like golf - fun to play, but boring to watch.

"Sorry, Hannah..." I whispered, not sounding one hundred percent convincing as I sat the picture back down in its original spot.

I then flicked my gaze over to the second photo and picked it up by the edge of its wicker frame. In this one, Josh was sitting at the kitchen table with a two-layer cake placed in front of him. It was doused in white and blue icing and decorated with the words _Happy Birthday, Josh!_ in black icing, along with a single polka-dot candle that was shaped like the number nineteen. Beside him, Scott was standing with his lightning bolt tattoo exposed and arm playfully looped around Josh's neck. They were both wearing joyful smiles, looking like they were seconds away from laughing.

There was also something on Scott's middle finger that I noticed. It was his class ring that he created online back in sophomore year. He loved wearing that thing. It was a thick, silver band with a large, circular, realistic ruby placed directly in the center. The words _Woodland High_ were engraved around it, and there were two small pictures engraved on it as well. On the right side, the image of two hockey sticks was designed on the band; and on the left side, there was the image of a basketball that was above his initials, _S.W_. It was obvious that those pictures represented how he was on the ice hockey and basketball teams. I swear, that was the fanciest class ring I'd _ever_ seen on a guy.

"Nice ring..." I mumbled to myself, right before I turned the picture over. There was a message printed on the back of this one as well, except this one was in Beth's handwriting.

* * *

 _ **Scott doing the honors of surprising Josh**_

 _ **with the cake that he, me, and Hannah**_

 ** _made for him._**

 _ **Happy 19th birthday, Josh!**_

 ** _We love you, big bro! :)_**

* * *

 _ **\+ CLUE FOUND - BIRTHDAY PHOTO +**_

 _ **Note: A framed photo of Scott celebrating the last birthday that he, Hannah, and Beth had with Josh before their disappearence. Scott is wearing a distinctive class ring.**_

* * *

"Damn. Too bad they weren't around when Josh turned twenty." I muttered in a slightly more remorseful tone. "His first birthday without them must've been _really_ difficult."

I placed the photo back down on the table and continued on my way, knowing that Jess wouldn't appreciate me taking this long to start a fire.

As I wandered through the doorway, I realized that I'd just entered a bedroom. It was small, drafty, and probably wouldn't have been so bad if the air wasn't choked with dust or this god-awful, musty smell. I crinkled my nose in disgust and, for some weird reason, recalled a piece of gossip that centered around Beth losing her virginity to her ex-boyfriend in this very room. A small, nauseous groan escaped from my mouth, considering the last thing I wanted to do during this trip was think about Beth or Hannah in a crude manner.

"Hmm ... if I were a couple of matches, where would I be?" I mumbled, slowly dragging the beam of light across different pieces of furniture.

"You're lighting a fire, Michael, not writing a novel." Jessica's voice suddenly called out, making me cringe a little. "How much longer is it going to take you?"

I poked my head back out into the hall and called back, "I'm still looking for the matches, babe. I'll try speeding my search up."

All I got in return was a low groan, in which I started walking across to the other side of the old-fashioned bedroom. Along the way, I noticed another book lying on an ebony dresser ... and as soon as I got close enough to see the words _Kama Sutra_ printed on the cover, fascination electrocuted through my eyes.

"The _Kama Sutra,_ ey? Well, don't mind if I do." I chuckled, setting the flashlight down. However, just as I was about to reach for the faded pink book, I ended up pulling my hand back when I saw a cockroach come out of nowhere and scurry across the cover. It stopped directly in the center, as if it could sense me looking at it.

I raised my hands up to my shoulders, suddenly losing interest in the book. "Or you could enjoy it for both of us ... that's okay with me, little dude." I grumbled, right before I snatched the flashlight back up and pointed it towards another wide-open doorway.

I immediately walked over to it and shined the light in, noticing that it was a tiny bathroom.

"Any chance that there's any matches in here?" I wondered as I walked in. After pointing the flashlight around, I spotted nothing but the typical bathroom essentials ... but at the sight of the shower closed off from view due to the curtain, this weird feeling developed in my gut.

For a moment, I remained as still as a statue and just stared at it. I couldn't tell if this was paranoia or not ... but whatever it was, there was something that felt different about that shower. I started to approach it, keeping each of my steps quiet and wary. Unfortunately, a few of the floorboards continued to creak along the way. Then, when I finally made it over to the shower, I carefully curled my fingers around the curtain and, in one swift motion, pulled it aside.

The following situation happened so damn fast. My eyes shot gigantic and a startled scream slipped out of my mouth as I caught a glimpse of _somebody actually_ _sitting_ _in the_ _freaking bathtub!_ However, before I could get a good look at whoever they were, the curtain fell over my head and all I could see were the design of orange, blue, and grey whales. In that moment, I realized that I'd accidentally yanked the curtain off its hooks and panicked as I started spinning around, desperately wanting to get it off of me.

"AHH! DAMMIT! GET OFF! GET OFF ME! GET IT OFF!" I shrieked, having my words muffled by the damn curtain.

Luckily, I managed to yank it off and throw it down to the ground, still screaming a little.

"Holy Mother of Earth!" A familiar voice suddenly exclaimed, startled. "Oh my gosh! Mike!"

As soon as those words were spoken, the terror slowly started to drain from my system and I flung my hand up to my chest, feeling my heart racing like a wild horse.

"What the-!" I blurted out as I snapped my gaze back over to the bathtub, realizing who the person sitting in it was. "Ethan!"

Ethan Miller was gripping the edge of the tub with one hand and looking back at me. His hazel eyes were large and caught off guard, giving it away that he hadn't been expecting company.

* * *

 _ **ETHAN - LOOKS UP TO MIKE**_

 **QUIRKY**

 **CREDULOUS**

 **COOPERATIVE**

 _ ***SPECIAL SKILL* - FORGERY**_

* * *

 ** _ETHAN DARRYL MILLER_**

 ** _:/Character Traits/:_**

 ** _Honest: 6/10_**

 ** _Charitable: 8/10_**

 ** _Funny: 5/10_**

 ** _Brave: 2/10_**

 ** _Romantic: 1/10_**

 ** _Curious: 7/10_**

 ** _:/Relationship Status/:_**

 _ **Josh: 6/10**_

 _ **Jessica: 8/10**_

 _ **Sam: 6/10**_

 _ **Emily: 3/10**_

 _ **Ashley: 5/10**_

 _ **Mike: 9/10**_

 _ **Matt: 4/10**_

 _ **Chris: 5/10**_

 _ **Lucas: 4/10**_

 _ **Russell: 7/10**_

 _ **Chelsea: 7/10**_

* * *

 _ **..BUTTERFLY EFFECT UPDATE..**_

 _ **(Masters or Amateurs?) -**_ **Russell's special skill is sharpshooting; Lucas's special skill is stealth; Chelsea's special skill is engineering; Ethan's special skill is forgery...**

* * *

He still looked exactly as he did last year, except now his messy chocolate-brown hair was decorated with neon orange, blue, and magenta highlights. Aside from that, he was wearing a moss-green turtleneck sweater with a black and white wool poncho, a pair of dark blue jeans that looked like they'd seen far better days, and some brown hiking boots. He was also wearing a necklace with a pedant shaped like a Yin-Yang symbol suspending from it and a series of bracelets that looked like they were made out of yak hair on one wrist. As for his other wrist, there were a couple of beaded bracelets, a charm bracelet that had a mini dreamcatcher hanging from it, a bangle bracelet that was designed to look like an actual feather, and a maroon watch. Needless to say, he looked just as weird as always.

"Augh! Freaking shit, damn, damn, shit!" I cursed, still in the process of recovering from the jumpscare.

There was a mild pause, in which the sounds of the screeching wind and the cabin settling filled the silence.

"Your vibes are ricocheting all over the place, Mike." Ethan eventually pointed out. "Did I scare you?"

I lifted my head and stared at him like he was the biggest idiot on the whole planet. "Oh, no." I replied with my voice soaked in sarcasm. "No, you didn't scare me, Ethan. You see, when I wander into the bathroom of a dark cabin, the first thing I _always_ expect to find is a person just sitting and doing nothing in the bathtub."

"I'm not doing nothing." Ethan remarked, unfazed by my bitterness. He then closed his eyes, placed his hands together like he was getting ready to say a prayer, and quietly drew in a soothing breath. "Believe it or not, I'm actually doing plenty right now. If you want, you can join me in my peace zone. It's a _very_ miraculous place."

I raised a brow at him. "Uhh ... I think I'll pass."

"Alright, suit yourself ... but if I were you, I'd keep in mind that it helps strengthen your core." Ethan kept his hands together as he reopened his eyes and looked at me again, suddenly curious. "Why are you here anyway?"

"Why am _I_ here?!" I repeated him in disbelief. "Why are _you_ here?! You should be at the lodge with everyone else right now!"

For a split second, I could've sworn that I saw something flicker through Ethan's eyes; but it was gone before I got the chance to determine what it was.

"Well, I guess I couldn't resist stopping by here." Ethan replied after a brief period of hesitation. "It's been a year since we've been back to this mountain and it's a very gorgeous place. I just wanted to take some time to bask in Mother Nature's peace and honor Her beauty in private."

There was something about his change in tone that felt odd. It was like there was something that he wasn't telling me, but at that moment, I didn't care.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and shook my head, wondering why this had to happen _right now._ "How the hell did you even get in here?" I inquired. "The door was locked."

"Yeah, but none of the windows were." Ethan pointed out, innocently fiddling around with some of his bracelets as he explained further. "After getting off the cable car, I accidentally mixed up a couple of the paths in the woods and got lost. So, when I stumbled upon the guest cabin, I decided to take that moment to cleanse my aura and gather the bliss of being back. I crawled in about two hours ago and have been relaxing in my peace zone ever since."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes, secretly annoyed over the fact that Jess and I had been searching through the woods for this boy while he was in our love den the entire time.

With a huff, I placed my hands on my waist and decided to get straight to the point. "Well, I'd hate to break it to you, but you need to leave."

"What?" The chocolate-haired lad glanced back over at me, batting his eyes in confusion. "How come?"

"Three reasons. One," I flicked up one finger, "everyone else is wondering where you're at back at the lodge. Two," I raised another finger, "I already made a deal with Josh and booked this cabin for me and Jess to spend some quality alone time together. And last but not least," I lifted one final finger, "I don't know about you, but I think it's pretty creepy to have sex when one of your ... fellow group members ... are _directly_ down the hall!"

Ethan's eyes widened slightly and twinkled in awe. "Ohh, so _that's_ why I'm sensing some pink tints in your aura!" He exclaimed out of nowhere, touching his chin as he studied me from the bottom of my shoes to the top of my head. "It's mixed with some scarlet and a shade of red that perfectly matches a tomato. I can also feel some orange blotches here and there, but I assume that's just from you not expecting my presence."

I squinted at him, at a loss for words for a moment. "Ethan, what the hell are you even talking about right now?" I questioned after finding my voice.

"Your aura, of course." Ethan replied simply, as if auras were something that everyone talked about on a daily basis. "You were caught off guard by finding me in my peace zone, triggering the orange blotches. As for that specific shade of red, it represents pride ... and the pink tints are sexual desires, which connect to the lust that's shown through the scarlet."

"What the- Stop violating my aura!" I ordered. Even though I didn't believe in any of this zen stuff, the words kinda jumped out of my mouth before I got the chance to think them through. "Look, I'm sorry for barging in on your 'spiritual cleansing' or whatever you want to call it, but if Jess finds out that you're in here while we're ... making ourselves comfortable, she's more than likely going to murder me."

Ethan positioned his elbow against the edge of the tub and rested his head against his fist. "Michael, believe me ... I would leave in a heartbeat if I could. It's not that I want to get in the way of your special plans with Jessica, because I don't. But I'm afraid Mother Nature isn't being particularly nice tonight." He peeked over at the little window that was over the toilet, seeing that the snow was being spat down at a much rougher speed. "I'm afraid with such awful weather, I won't be able to fulfill your wish for me to hike to the lodge until morning."

"Ugh!" I groaned as I ran a hand through my hair and started pacing slightly. "Great! This is just _great._ When Jess finds out that you're here, she's going to be _beyond_ pissed."

A sympathetic look formed on Ethan's face. "I swear on all of Mother Earth's beauty, Mike, if I had known beforehand that you two were going to be here, I wouldn't have climbed in through the window in the first place. Like I said before, I would leave if I could ... but since I can't, I'll make you a deal." As he finished his last sentence, he reached his hand into one of his pockets, rummaged around inside of it, and pulled out his phone that was wrapped up in a pair of headphones. "I remembered to download the whole first season of _Mr. Robot_ on my phone before coming back this year. For the whole night, I'll stay in here and watch every episode with the volume turned all the way up. That way, you and Jess will have your privacy. Then, when I'm done, I'll watch some _Wild Kingdom_ that I have saved on here as well."

I stared at him like I was debating whether or not I should smack him upside the head for coming up with such a dumb idea. "I'm pretty sure that having sex while someone your age is right down the hall is a crime in some parts of the world." I retorted.

"True, but there's also numerous areas around the globe in which you're known as a full grown man by the age of fifteen. Tonight, we can make Canada one of those places." Ethan proposed.

I had to admit, I often forgot how talented he was at speaking like that. It might've not seemed like it, considering he had a wild appearance and constantly babbled about all of that zen crap, but Ethan was actually quite smart. Unfortunately, it was only about five percent of the time in which he showed this side of himself. The remaining ninety-five percent was all about auras, vibes, yoga, peace zones, and the earth. Sometimes, I _desperately_ wished that the two were switched.

"So, what do you say, Mike?" Ethan asked, already working on unraveling his headphones. "Do we have a deal? It's your choice."

I pursed my lips and hesitated, pondering on how I should respond.

* * *

 ** _X Accept Deal (Fine, just stay in here.)/Reject Deal (Hell no! Get out before I throw you out!) X_**

 ** _Choice Chosen: Accept Deal_**

* * *

As much as I hated to admit it, I knew that I couldn't force Ethan to leave the cabin. Not only did he suck at directions, but the temperature was dropping even more and the sky was growing darker with every passing minute. If he left, he was bound to get lost again and either freeze his ass off or encounter some of the vicious animals that were on this mountain. This was definitely _not_ how I pictured my first time with Jess, but what was I supposed to do? We'd been looking forward to sleep together for months and this was probably one of the only times during this whole getaway in which we would have the time to do it. Unfortunately, that meant that I was going to have to do two things ... one, accept Ethan's deal; and two, break the news about it to Jessica.

I dragged out a long, heavy sigh. "Alright, fine. It's a deal. Just make sure that you stay in here and leave your headphones in _at all times._ No matter what happens, you don't step foot out of this bathroom! Do I make myself clear?" Shortly after my last word, I emitted a low groan from the realization hitting me that I was starting to sound a lot like my mother.

Ethan was already in the process of setting up the app on his phone. "Calm your vibes, Mike. You have nothing to worry about. I understand." He affirmed as he then positioned the vibrant green buds in his ears.

I opened my mouth to say something back, but before I could, the sound of Jessica's voice called out in a somewhat frisky tone, "It's so cold in here right now my tongue would get stuck to your flagpole."

With that sexy picture now in my mind, a hot blush tingled across my cheeks and I bit down on my bottom lip to fight back a small moan. Luckily, when I glanced back at Ethan, I saw that he hadn't acknowledged my girlfriend's comment since he was caught up in pressing the play button on his long list of episodes.

"Hmm..." Ethan narrowed his eyes in thought as the intro to _Mr. Robot_ started playing on his phone. "Is it just me ... or does the main character of this show have a significant resemblance to Josh?"

Instead of sticking around to see if he was speaking to me or himself, I spun around on my heels and exited the bathroom. Then, after making it halfway across the old-fashioned bedroom, I ceased in my tracks again, rubbed my face with my unoccupied hand, and drew in a deep breath through my nose. After holding it in for a couple of seconds, I quietly released it through my mouth and prepared myself to explain everything that had just happened to my girlfriend.

"Okay, Mike ... you can do this. Just ... act like you're ripping off a Band-Aid. Make it quick and painless" I tried to encourage myself, mumbling every word under my breath. After that, I left the bedroom and strolled back down the hallway. When I reached the end, I saw Jess sitting in the same position on the couch and I stood as casually as possible.

At the sight of me, she pushed herself to the edge of the sofa and adjusted her posture. " _There_ you are! Gosh, what in the world took you so long?" She questioned. "Did you find any matches?"

"Uh ... no, I didn't." I replied as I wiped some of the freezing slush off from my pants. "But I did find ... something."

Jess groaned, rolling her eyes. "Well, whatever it is, can it help us start a fire?"

I straightened my lips and continued to pretend that I was caught up in trying to dust off the snow from my clothes. " _Dammit, this is going to be a lot harder than I thought._ " I thought to myself, right before I opened my mouth to speak. "I'm afraid not ... but, um ... you know how Josh asked if we could search for Ethan on the way here and we did, but no matter how hard we looked, we couldn't find him anywhere?"

My beige-blonde babe raised an eyebrow at me and crossed her arms. "What exactly are you getting at, Mike?" She asked in a tone that gave it away that she knew that I was trying to break something to her.

"There's a reason why we couldn't find Ethan anywhere." I explained with some hesitance. "You see ... it's because he's been in the bathroom right down the hall for the past two hours."

As soon as those words left my mouth, Jessica's eyes shot huge and she leaped up from the couch. "What?!" She squawked in a mixture of anger and shock. "Are - are you freaking serious?!"

I cringed, not knowing exactly whether it was because of her tone or because of how my skin was starting to sting from my soaked clothes.

"Yeah..." I drawled. "Apparently, he _did_ get lost in the woods during his hike to the lodge and eventually ended up coming across this place. So, he made himself at home in the bathtub and engaged in his typical, odd behavior."

"Well, you got to tell him to get his crazy voodoo ass out of here!" Jess bellowed, placing her hands on her hips as her face morphed into a bitter stare. "We already went through hell to get to this cabin and the last thing we need is him ruining our special night!"

"I already talked to him about that, Jess. But he-" I tried to explain.

"But he what?!" Jessica cut me off, and then scoffed. "Let me guess, he's just refusing to leave like the aggravating tag-along that he's always been? Alright, you stay here while I go give him a piece of my mind! I can assure you that when I'm done with him, he _will_ walk out that door whether he likes it or not!" She started storming in my direction, no doubt getting ready to charge down the hall to yell at Ethan. However, I blocked her path.

"Babe, listen ... I'm definitely not psyched about Ethan being here either, but we can't kick him out." I said with a small sigh. "The snow is _really_ starting to plummet down out there and you know how much that kid sucks at directions. If we force him to leave, he's just going to get lost again and God knows what'll happen to him then."

"Um, hello? That's _not_ our problem, Michael." Jessica sneered, staring pointedly into my eyes. "He needs to get the hell out _right now._ "

"But what about the bear?" I demanded in a tone that was still gentle, but also serious. "It's still out there somewhere, along with plenty of other dangerous animals."

Jess shrugged carelessly. "Then it looks like Ethan will be their dinner if he's dumb enough to approach any of them."

She tried to walk past me, but once again, I blocked her.

"Jess, come on. That's pretty harsh." I retorted, right before I rested my forehead against hers and spoke more charmingly. "Look, it doesn't matter if Voodoo Boy is here or not. All that matters tonight is _you_ and _me._ This is _our_ night. We've been looking forward to it for months and _nothing_ is going to ruin it for us. Ethan assured me that he would stay put in the bathroom with his headphones turned all the way up so he won't be able to hear _anything_ that we're doing. We have complete privacy ... and we can express as much passion as we want." I was going to lean in for a kiss, but Jess must've not noticed.

She turned her head away from mine and rolled her eyes in disbelief. "And you actually _believed_ him when he said he wouldn't listen in on us?" She scoffed. "Mike, he's a freaking creep! He's probably planning at this very moment to eavesdrop on us as soon as we get down to business!"

I furrowed my brow at her. "Jess, he may be a very ... _peculiar_ person ... but he's been in my life long enough for me to know that he's not freaky to _that_ extent. Trust me, for this entire night, we won't hear a peep out of him and he sure as hell won't hear a peep from either of us. Then, when morning comes, he'll be on his way to the lodge and we'll be able to redo everything that we do tonight in the shower. This is _our_ love den, babe."

Jess looked deep into my eyes and pursed her lips in a contemplating manner. Then, after a brief moment of hesitation, she let out a heavy sigh and headed back over to the sofa. That was all it took for me to know that she finally agreed to not throw Ethan out.

"Some 'love den.'" Jess grumbled as she seated herself back down on the couch, crossing her right leg over her left one. "We can't even get a simple fire going and I think I'm starting to feel the tips of my ears turning blue."

"Don't worry, I'm going to fix that." I promised. "There's bound to be some matches in here ... somewhere."

At the short pause that came before my final word, something grabbed my attention from the corner of my eye. A dining table was positioned against the wall, directly across from the couch ... and there was this tiny box sitting on it. I walked over to the table and pinched the item between my fingers, lifting it up so I could examine it. I realized that it was a box of matches ... and despite the relieved grin that stretched across my lips, a piece of me honestly felt like punching myself in the back of the head for not catching this earlier.

"Lookie-lookie, who's gonna fire up some nookie!" I flirted.

Jess shook her head, unimpressed. "You've been dying to use that line since we got here, haven't you?"

With a small chuckle, I returned to the fireplace and knelt down as I slid the tiny box open. Then, at the sight of there only being _one match,_ my pale brown eyes widened slightly. I had only one chance to get this fire going, so I hoped for the best as I plucked the match out, struck it, and placed it inside the fireplace. Thankfully, flames started to rapidly leak across the wood and I could already feel the strong warmth beginning to fill the room.

"Man one, fire zero." I proudly declared as I closed the iron door back up.

My girlfriend clapped her hands. "Very nice. Bravo."

I turned back around to face her. "Alright, my lady. What comes next?"

As I asked this, I gave a small gesture down to my damp clothes in the hopes of having the chance to _finally_ remove them.

* * *

 ** _..BUTTERFLY EFFECT UPDATE.._**

 ** _(Be Her Hero.) -_** **Mike came to Jessica's aid immediately; Jessica appreciated Mike's heroism; Mike continued to impress Jess; but she later resisted his advances.**

* * *

Jess let out a breath and replied a little awkwardly, "I think... well ... I wish we had some booze..."

"Uh..." I looked down at the carpet and scratched the back of my head, not expecting that response from her. "Well, if I'd known that ahead of time-"

"I don't know ... I'm kinda just ... not feelin' it ... yet." Jess informed, rubbing her arm slightly.

As soon as she said that, I felt a little self-conscious and the first thought that came to my mind was that I was making her uncomfortable. That was the last thing I wanted to do during our romantic evening, especially after hiking through so much damn snow, traveling through an abandoned mine shaft, witnessing a deer's final moments of life, running away from some unseen creature, and then finding out that Ethan was going to be right down the hall this whole night. Needless to say, I wanted Jess to feel relaxed.

* * *

 _ **X Reassure (What's wrong?)/Seduce (Let's just make out.) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Reassure**_

* * *

"Am I ... doing something wrong?" I asked, never seeming to have this problem in any of my past relationships.

Jessica immediately shook her head. " No ... no, no, no. I mean..." She paused, evidently trying to find the right words to say. "I thought you were one way, but you're _kinda_ another way, does that make sense?" A small sigh then escaped from her mouth. "It's not your fault..."

"Jess." I spoke with complete honesty and pointed the flashlight at her like she was a superstar that deserved some spotlight. "I really like you. Whoever you think I am ... well ... just give me a chance and I will show you what you need." As I said all of this, I took a seat beside her on the couch - which was surprisingly a lot more comfy than it looked - and stared into her eyes.

"Well ... I'm liking your confidence." Jess swooned as a smile cracked across her face. However, after a few seconds, it crumbled away like it was never there. "Mike ... the shutters."

I slumped my shoulders a little. "What about them?"

"Umm..." My girlfriend nervously fiddled around with her nails. "Close them, please?"

I breathed a tiny laugh, truly in disbelief. "There's no one out there!"

Jessica shuddered and looked over towards the window. "I feel like someone's watching us. I _don't_ like it."

"Jess, really, it's fine-" I tried to lessen her paranoia.

She glanced back at me with a sharp glint in her eyes and repeated herself, "I _really_ don't like it."

"Hooo-kay." I sighed, standing up from the couch. "Shutters it is."

I strolled over to the window, able to sense my girlfriend's gaze following my every move. Then, without wanting to spend as much time as I did on the fire, I simply closed both of the squeaky shutters. The moonlight could still be seen slipping in through the narrow slits, but the room had definitely darkened a bit.

"Voila. Shutters are shutted." I announced, beginning to approach the sofa again as I added with a small seductive note, "Now where were we?"

Jess seemed to stiffen a little. "I'm sorry ... ugh ... I'm sorry, I think I'm a little freaked out and it's hard for me to like, keep this up, and-"

"What? Keep what up?" I inquired as I quickly seated myself beside her again.

"Look..." Jess turned to face me with an embarrassed blush dusted across her cheeks. "I act all super confident and like a total sexy babe and everything, but underneath ... I gotta be honest, I'm ... really kinda insecure."

I blinked, remaining silent for a moment in order to fully digest what I'd just heard.

* * *

 _ **X Reassure (You're super hot.)/Dismissive (Sounds complicated.) X**_

 ** _Choice Chosen: Reassure_**

* * *

"Jess." I finally said something, breaking through the disbelief. "You've gotta be kidding me."

The glow from the fire flickered against one half of her face as she stared at me. "What?" She said fragility.

"You have _nothing_ to be insecure about." I reassured.

"Oh!" My beige-blonde babe let out a short string of shy giggles. "You have _no_ idea-"

"Sure I do. You're just like me and everyone else. We're all insecure!" I pointed out, taking a hold of her hands. "But, you know how to handle yourself. You might call it a front but, it's real."

A sweet grin curled up on the corners of Jessica's lips. "Yeah. I guess I do." She chuckled.

"Yeah." I agreed, right before I leaned in and gave her an Eskimo kiss. "And that's _super freaking hot._ "

"Really?" Jess gushed.

I reached one of my hands over and gently rubbed her shoulder as replied, "Yeah. Hell yeah it is."

By this point, my girlfriend was beating redder than a freshly bloomed rose and her large smile almost made her seem intoxicated by our love.

"Come here." Jess purred, in which we scooted closer together and she traced her fingers down my bicep. "Maybe I know how to handle you too."

"I am _definitely_ ready to be handled ... just hang on for a split second." Still holding Jessica's hands, I looked over in the direction of the hallway and called out, "Hey, Voodoo Boy! You all headphoned up?"

There was no response, making my eyes shine with satisfaction. Then, with my lips now molded into a flirtatious grin, I glanced back at Jess.

"We're all set." I whispered in a tone that was both charming and seductive. "It's just you and me, sexy lady."

Jessica's smile became _a lot_ more risque, especially when I moved my hands forward and unzipped her stone-blue jacket. After this happened, she stood up from the couch, carelessly tossed it to the floor, and turned around for a mere second so I could see her give herself a frisky slap on the butt. As a result, I chuckled and felt my face start to grow hotter than it already was due to the cozy glow of the fire.

"Oh, you like that, lover boy?" Jess cooed as she seductively twirled one of the drawstrings of my padded vest around her index finger.

"Girl, you know I absolutely _love it._ " I whispered, at which my girlfriend planted a line of tender kisses along my jawline. "Mmm ... you drive me crazy."

A few playful giggles bubbled out of Jessica's mouth. "It's all for you, hot lips." She flirted, slowly running her hands down each and every one of her luscious curves. Then, when she made it down to the bottom of her purple top, she curled her fingers underneath the fabric and pulled it off.

"God, you're so amazing." I swooned, in which Jess discarded the purple garment to the floor and then removed both of her boots.

She smirked, swaying her body in a flirtatious manner as she approached me again. "If you think I'm amazing now, just wait until we _really_ get started."

At the end of her sentence, I placed my hands on her hips, snuck the tips of my fingers into the back pockets of her jeans, and began to kiss her feverishly. While this happened, Jess grabbed the zipper of my padded vest and quickly yanked it down. With some regret, I retracted my hands from her one at a time in order to shake off the piece of damp clothing. Then, as soon as it landed on the floor, Jess pulled back from our make out session, traced the tip of her tongue across my lips, and plopped herself back down on the couch, almost posing like the character "Rose" in that certain scene of _Titanic._

I quickly removed my flannel and dropped it to the floor, not caring if I accidentally tore off a button or two. Now, all I was left in was my jeans, my boots, and the white tank-top undershirt that I'd stolen from one of my brothers. Jess, on the other hand, decided to keep her own jeans and ivory-white undershirt on so our make out session could continue for a bit longer before we started making love.

With a small and playful growl, I prompt my knee on the couch, leaned over my girlfriend, and slowly began to lean in for another hungry kiss ... but before our lips could meet, something happened.

 _CRASH!_

Jess and I immediately snapped our heads in the direction of the abrupt noise, releasing startled yelps. It had come from somewhere down the hall, causing the hot romance that'd been starting to stir up in the room to go to hell.

"Ouch!" Ethan's voice blurted out while the loud sound erupted through the air. "W-what the heck?!"

"Whah?" I exclaimed in a mixture of confusion, concern, and alarm.

"Huh!?" Jess gasped at the exact same time, right before she slowly began to push herself to the corner of the sofa and curl up. "Mike! ... What is that?!"

I jumped up and took a small glimpse down the dark hallway as I whispered back, "I don't know!"

"Okay, well go find out! Now! Please!" Jessica begged, clearly terrified.

With an internal sigh, I grabbed the flashlight from where I had placed it on the mantle above the fireplace and started to walk down the hallway. Part of me was convinced that the sound was caused by Ethan dropping something or something among those lines ... but when I made it about halfway down the hall, I detected a new noise. It caused me to freeze in my tracks for a moment and narrow my eyes in confusion. Music was playing all of the sudden, and whatever song it was, I could've sworn that I'd heard it before.

Then, as I finished my walk down the hall and entered the bedroom, I saw something that I didn't expect. The window in the bathroom had been completely shattered, allowing the freezing wind and a shower of snowflakes to enter the cabin.

"Holy shit..." I muttered under my breath, coming to a sharp halt in the middle of the room. "What in the world happened there?"

After my final word, Ethan came into view. He carefully stepped over the millions of broken shards that were now covering the bathroom floor, rubbing the back of his head with a similar expression to mine plastered on his face. I noticed that he was holding something in his other hand as well, but I couldn't see what it was.

"Holy guacamole! Mike, you won't believe what just happened!" Ethan quickly approached me, looking completely baffled. "I was just in the middle of washing my hands after doing what nature called me to do and _this_ came soaring like an eagle through the window! It hit me in the back of the head!"

He held his hand out, showing me the item that had broken the window. At the sight of it, my eyes widened a little and I felt a small lump automatically balloon up in the direct center of my throat. It was Jessica's phone, and the screen was advertising a girly song from her playlist. _That's_ where the music was coming from.

"There's gotta be a logical explanation for this." I said as I took the phone from the nature-obsessed teen and examined it.

Ethan continued to gently rub the back of his head, ignoring how his poncho and hair were being blown by the frosty breeze. "I don't know, Mike..." He spoke, unsettled. "I'm getting some pretty dark vibes about this."

I rolled my eyes at his words and glanced over my shoulder, realizing that Jess was now standing in the doorway of the bedroom. "It's your phone...!" I called out to her.

"What?" She called back, utterly dumbfounded. "How is it my phone!?"

I looked at the window again, feeling goosebumps already starting to form on my bare arms from the winter air. "I don't know, it just ... came through the window...!" I explained.

"And hit me in the head!" Ethan incorporated with a small wince.

Without bothering to acknowledge Ethan's existence, Jess stormed into the room and snatched her phone from me. "Oh, for hell's sake - DAMMIT -" She snarled with pure anger electrocuting through her eyes.

"What?" I queried.

Ethan blinked in confusion, not seeming to take offence to how my girlfriend was pretending that he wasn't even there. Although, he was probably used to it by now.

Jessica then bellowed, "Those damn assholes probably followed us out here to screw with us and just when we were getting down to business!"

With a furious huff, she spun around on her naked heels and stomped out of the bedroom. Ethan and I didn't hesitate to follow her, making sure to keep our distance as we watched her unlock the front door, swing it open, and step out onto the porch. As this happened, the flashlight flickered out and I cursed a little under my breath. I sat it aside and picked up the small electric lantern that was still positioned in front of the fireplace.

"HEY! YEAH! PRICKS! THAT MEANS YOU!" Jess yelled into the darkness of the night, her voice echoing. "I KNOW you're OUT THERE! The _HELL_ are you trying to do!? You want to ruin our fun _THAT BAD?!_ " She threw her arms down at her sides, completely engulfed with rage. "Well GUESS WHAT? You _can't!_ You _can't_ ruin our good time! Because Michael and I are gonna _SCREW!_ That's right! We are going to have _SEX!_ And it's gonna be _HOT!_ So _ENJOY IT!_ Because I know _WE'RE GOING TO!_ "

Ethan straightened his lips and continued to rub the back of his head, making it obvious that he didn't feel okay with hearing this. At the same time, Jess released a heavy huff and stormed back inside, slamming the door shut behind her.

"Oh, give me a break." She groaned.

There was a very short moment of silence, in which I just stared at her. I honestly didn't know what to say and I felt a little awkward since Ethan was in the room with us.

"Well..." Ethan spoke up, unfazed by the glare that Jess immediately shot him. "I think I'm just gonna head ba-"

Before he could finish his sentence, he was cut off from something that scared the absolute shit out of me. The window that was built in to the door shattered right in front of our eyes and two large, freaky looking hands shot in at the speed of lightning. One of them grabbed Jess by the top of her head and the other snatched a hold of her arm, yanking her up from the floor. In less than a second, the air was pierced by the sound of my girlfriend screaming in absolute terror and her eyes shot gigantic, looking like they were seconds away from popping out of her skull. She tried getting whatever it was that had grabbed her to let her go, but she couldn't.

The unknown threat forcefully yanked her out through the window ... and just like that, Jessica was gone with her shrieking still able to be heard.

* * *

 **Chris's POV**

 ** _WASHINGTON LODGE LIBRARY_**

 ** _23:14_**

Even though I've never been a believer in the supernatural, I had to admit that the seance turned out to be _a lot_ creepier than I thought it would. I was incredibly skeptical, playing back everything with the Ouija board in my mind and questioning if all of that _really_ happened. On top of that, I was worried about Ashley. We had just got done associating with ... something ... that not only claimed to be her ex-boyfriend, but also informed us about some "proof" in the library that would help us figure out how he and his sisters died. Now, I'd seen _plenty_ of horror movies that incorporated scenarios like this and I wasn't exactly thrilled to follow instructions from a "ghost." But Ashley wanted to get to the bottom of this ... and I was willing to do anything for her, even if it freaked me the hell out.

I watched from my chair as Ash got up from her own seat and grabbed the candlestick that was sitting on the table. She held it out in front of her and carefully moved it around, casting a faint glow against the wall.

"Do you really think Scott was communicating with us?" I asked with some hesitance as I stood up.

A sore look appeared on Ashley's face. She turned to look at me, nervously picking at the edge of her beanie as she replied, "I don't know. I don't know if I wish he _were_ or I wish he _weren't._ "

I gestured to the staircase. "I guess we should find out."

With that, I began to descend down the stairs; but by the time I got to the fourth step, I stopped when I realized that Ashley wasn't following me. Instead, she had her back turned in my direction and she was holding the candle out towards a doorway that led out onto one of the many overhangs that were provided in this place.

"You coming, Ash?" I inquired with my hand positioned on the railing.

She glanced over her shoulder at me. "In a minute. I want to take a look back there first."

"Umm..." I tilted my head a little to the side like a confused puppy and blinked. "Okay? ... But why?"

"During the seance, I could've sworn that I saw something from the corner of my eye standing back there." Ashley explained, in which she began to take cautious steps towards the doorway. "Now, I didn't exactly get a good look at whatever it was, but ... I thought it looked like the silhouette of a _person._ "

I walked back up the few stairs that I'd previously stepped down and decided to follow her. "You, me, and Josh were the only ones up here though." I pointed out with some uncertainty still dripping from my voice. "No offence, Ash, but it was probably just your eyes playing tricks on you. So much was happening so fast during the seance and this lodge gets pretty dark at night. If there was another person up here, they would've had to vanish out of thin air in order to get away without us noticing anything."

As soon as that last sentence left my mouth, I reminded myself of the current situation and felt like smacking myself in the face. It was a poor choice of words, but Ashley didn't seem to notice. She was focused on directing the candlestick, checking practically every inch of the overhang as soon as we stepped through the doorway. Just as I suspected, there wasn't anybody else up here or any clues that hinted at there ever being another presence in this part of the lodge; but I kept pursuing after Ashley as she walked down to the end of the loft and held the candle close to a wooden stand that was against the wall. There was something on it ... a pink glasses case that was smudged in dirt.

I cocked an eyebrow, secretly wondering why an item like that was up here. It clearly didn't belong in a library and it looked like it'd been neglected for quite some time.

"Huh?" Ashley breathed with curiosity practically radiating off from her. "Is ... is this..."

Instead of finishing her question, she delicately curled her fingers around the dirty case, picked it up, and turned it over to see the other side. The initials _H.W._ were elegantly printed on it, standing for none other than Hannah Washington.

* * *

 _ **\+ CLUE FOUND - HANNAH'S GLASSES CASE +**_

 _ **Note:** **A glasses case with Hannah's initials on the back. Like Scott, Hannah was wearing her glasses on the day she went missing.**_

* * *

"This is Hannah's old glasses case." Ashley said with some sorrow flickering in her eyes. "She used to carry it around with her all the time ... but now it's completely beaten up. What's it even doing up all the way up here?"

There was a brief moment of hesitation before I gave a vague shrug. "I'm not sure ... but if I had to guess, Josh's parents weren't able to locate _all_ of the triplets' belongings to pack them up yet."

Ashley's lips quivered a little at my words, giving it away that she was battling the urge to frown. Nonetheless, instead of carrying on this conversation any longer, she placed the glasses case back down on the stand and turned to look at me as she said, "Let's just find this 'proof' that you-know-who told us about. The faster we get to the bottom of this, the better."

I nodded in agreement and gestured in the direction we'd just came. "Right this way."

The two of us retreated to the room in which we'd participated in the seance, stepping over the planchette that was still lying on the floor. Then, we began to descend down the creaky stairs, depending on Ashley's candlestick and the moonlight to illuminate our path.

"Josh looked _really_ freaked out at the seance." Ashley said out of the blue.

I pursed my lips and finished walking down the stairs. "Yeah, I mean he looked like he was keeping it together, but..." I stopped, believing that was all that needed to be said as I turned to look at my study partner.

"Do you think we shouldn't have mentioned his siblings?" She asked, making it down the staircase.

"I mean, it's why we came back up here." I reminded.

Ashley's face was caked in guilt as we stood there in front of the big window that was beside the stairwell, looking at each other. "Yeah but, not to like, _have a seance._ " She sighed in regret and shook her head. "Maybe we went too far."

"Come on, Ash, let's not be hard on ourselves like this. Josh is our friend, remember? He'll get better soon, he always does." I assured, trying to provide as much comfort as possible. "Now, let's go find that proof."

Ashley drew in a soft, steady breath and nodded at me. After that, I led the way out the small doorway that was nearly camouflaged between the bookshelves and my study partner started walking ahead. I stood still, watching as she approached the door that we'd followed Josh through earlier. However, when she grabbed the knob and jiggled it, it came to our realization that the door had somehow been locked...

"Hm. Dammit." Ashley muttered.

"That's ... kinda strange." I stated shortly after. "Maybe we should check Mr. Washington's office. It's the key part of the library, after all."

Once again, my study partner agreed with me. However, just as we walked across the floorboards and were about to enter the office, we nearly became as pale as sheets when a dark figure appeared in front of us, exiting the office at that very moment. I could've sworn that I felt my heart punch the inside of my chest as Ashley and I both screamed from getting caught off, which resulted in the dark figure letting out a scream as well. Then, with Ashley now clinging to my arm in fear, I felt a sharp sting shoot through my eyes when an abrupt, bright white flash filled the air.

"Ah! My eyes!" I yelped, screwing them shut.

"W-wait a minute..." Ashley held the candle out in front of us, exposing the identity of the figure. "Oh God ... Russ, it's only you."

Her chest deflated in relief and she withdrew herself from me, while Russell stared at us with huge eyes. He was holding his camera, which was where the blinding flash must've come from.

"Holy crap! Chris, Ash ... you guys nearly gave me a heart attack!" Russell exclaimed, still in the process of recovering from the jumpscare. "What are you doing?"

"Currently?" I removed my glasses from my face, rubbed my eyes, and then blinked repeatedly. "Seeing bright white dots every time we blink."

The dusty blonde teen bit down on his bottom lip and rubbed the back of his neck, clearly embarrassed. "Oh, yeah, sorry about that." He apologized. "The two of you just _really_ caught me off guard. I wasn't expecting to bump into two people immediately after walking out from another room, so I panicked and pressed the button on my camera."

Ashley sighed, slowly regaining her color. "Don't worry, it's fine." She promised with her unoccupied hand placed over her heart. "It was an honest mistake."

As she said this, I pushed my glasses back up the bridge of my nose and Sam's boyfriend tilted his head at us, narrowing his eyes in thought.

"Hey, speaking of there only being two of you," Russ began with his voice now drenched in confusion, "where's Josh? I thought he was hanging out with you guys."

I dragged out a quiet, somewhat heavy breath. "He was, but ... he got angry and stormed off someplace."

"What?" Russell's confusion only increased as he flicked his attention back and forth from me to Ash. "What do you mean, he got angry? What happened? It usually takes _a lot_ to piss him off."

A guilty frown formed on Ashley's face and disappointment swarmed in her eyes as she dropped her attention down to the floor. "Russell, you were right." She admitted, shaking her head in regret.

"Okay...?" Russell said as concern started to flicker in his icy blue orbs. "Please enlighten me. What exactly was I right about?"

"The spirit board." Ash replied, lifting her head to make eye contact with him. "We shouldn't have messed with it. A lot of scary stuff was said and it was _really_ freaky and ... we ended up coming in contact with someone."

It didn't take long before Russell's face hardened into a serious stare. "Someone or _something?_ " He retorted, placing his camera back against his hip before he crossed his arms over his chest. "I tried warning you guys. Ouija boards are nothing but dangerous portals. When you use one, you open a door that's _very_ difficult to shut ... but you guys know me. In my eyes, you go to heaven or hell after you die. There's no such thing as purgatory or 'the in-between' or ... whatever it is you want to call it."

I stared at him, surprised. "Is that your way of saying that you don't believe us?"

Even though I wasn't one hundred percent certain on whatever had happened during the seance, something _still_ happened and I saw it with my own eyes.

"No, I didn't say that." Russell replied with some caution beginning to slip into his tone. "I know you guys would never lie to me, especially with something like this. I'm just saying ... if something _really did_ communicate with the two of you and Josh, it was more than likely pure evil."

"You mean..." Ashley took down a small gulp, paling a little again, "...like a poltergeist?"

"Hey now, let's not jump to any conclusions." I spoke up, wanting to prevent Ash from getting herself freaked out again. "Let's just ... take a minute to clear our heads and think rationally here."

Russell uncrossed his arms and touched his chin as he looked down at his army boots in thought. Then, after a moment of silence, he looked up again and said with curiosity tainting his voice, "By any chance, did this entity identify itself when it was communicating with you guys? Judging by stories I've heard, they sometimes give themselves names. Did anything like that ever come up?"

As soon as that question came out of his mouth, I felt like I'd just been hit in the chest with a brick. My pale blue eyes expanded a little and I caught my bottom lip between my teeth. At the same time, Ashley averted her eyes and used her unoccupied hand to nervously rub the back of her neck. Eventually, we locked our gazes on each other, and I could tell by the look in my study partner's eyes that she was thinking of the same way to respond as I was.

* * *

 _ **X Tell Truth (Yeah ... it was Scott.)/Lie (No name was given.) X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Lie**_

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Chris's Character Traits: Honest -1 (5/10)**

 **Ashley's Character Traits: Honest -1 (6/10)**

* * *

Russ was one of the last people who I ever wanted to tell a lie to, but he was going through hell right now with his diagnosis and antidepressants. If Ash and I told him the truth on how this "ghost" claimed to be Scott, he was going to be even more devastated than I could tell he already was. So, I knew what I had to do in order to protect Russell's feelings, even though I also knew that it was going to haunt me for the rest of this trip.

"No ... during the seance, there was no name given." I fibbed in an incredibly convincing tone, and Ashley shook her head to help back me up. "It was just some random spirit ... or whatever."

The dusty blonde teen blinked in curiosity. "Alright then ... what all did it say?"

"It mentioned something about there being proof in the library." Ashley answered.

"Proof?" Just like that, Russell was lost again. "About what?'"

"About the disappearence of Beth, Scott, and Hannah." I replied, feeling some sorrow inside of me at the mention of the triplets. "It'll help us solve a piece of the puzzle as to what happened to them after they ran off into the woods."

"How would some random spirit know _anything_ about the triplets?" Russell queried, clearly trying his hardest to understand all of this.

Ashley grimaced at the small backfire from our lie, but I made sure to play it cool.

"We're not sure ... but it did."

Russell placed his hand on his hip. "Well, I just got done taking some pictures in the library and I didn't see anything unusual ... let alone anything that would help us get to the bottom of Hannah, Beth, and Scott's disappearence."

"Maybe we just need to take a closer look." Ash proposed. "Even if there really _is_ nothing ... what's the harm in making sure?"

I nodded at her in agreement, right before I locked my gaze on Sam's boyfriend again. "What do you say, Scarface?" I asked. "Want to look around with us?"

"Yeah, count me in." Russell confirmed with determination highlighting the edge of his voice. "Even though I want _nothing_ to do with instructions from an Ouija board ... I want to get to the bottom of what happened to my best friend and his sisters much more."

"Alright. Welcome aboard." I said, feeling a little better now that Ashley and I had another person with us. "Let's get to searching before it gets any darker."

Russell stepped aside to let me enter Mr. Washington's office first. He followed closely behind with Ashley coming in last, waving the candlestick from left to right. She had her other hand wrapped around Russell's wrist, giving it away that she was still scared with the whole situation. Although, Russell didn't seem to mind. He was caught up in carefully examining the room with me ... but when the three of us walked past one of the bookshelves, we were stunned when a couple of books came flying out at us.

"Jesus! Look out!" I exclaimed, dunking before any of the books could hit me.

"Whoa! What the hell?!" Russell proclaimed at the same time, in which he and Ash both held their arms up to guard their heads.

"Ah! Chris! Russ!" Ashley yelped as the last few books from that section of the bookshelf fell to the floor. "Holy crap."

With big eyes, Russell looked down at the series of encyclopedias that were now lying at our feet and took a step back. "Christ, those things could've knocked us clear out!" He huffed in disbelief, standing between me and Ashley.

"Are you guys okay?" I inquired.

"I think so..." Ashley breathed.

After she responded, Russell nodded and said, "I'm fine, don't worry."

"Look-" Ashley held the candlestick out in front of her and pointed at the bookshelf.

"What?" Russell and I spoke simultaneously, but our tones were different. I was nervous, while Sam's boyfriend was curious.

"There was something behind the books." Ash informed as she carefully stepped over the fallen books and peeked into the emptied part of the bookshelf. "What is that?"

I stepped up to Ashley's right side while Russell approached her left side. We both spotted the item that Ashley was speaking about and it didn't take much effort to know that it was a button. Of all things, there was an actual _button_ built in to the bookshelf.

"Is it a button?" I questioned.

"That's _definitely_ a button." Russell confirmed in a tone that was just as confused as mine.

Ashley, however, was much more on edge. "Why would there be a button?"

"That's a good question." I said, raising my shoulders in uncertainty.

"Should I push it?" Ash asked while looking at me.

I gestured to the button with a tiny sigh. "That's what buttons are for, I guess."

My study partner then flicked her attention over to Russell, but she didn't even need to say anything.

"Go for it, Ash." He urged as soon as her eyes landed on him, making it obvious that his curiosity about our discovery had sharply increased.

Ashley drew in a deep breath to help prepare herself for whatever was about to happen. Then, shortly after she released the air, she reached her unoccupied hand out and pressed the button. Almost instantly, a mild _bang_ echoed through the air, causing her to jump back. Right before our eyes, the bookshelf nosily slid across the floor and opened up like a door, revealing a secret passage.

Russell's mouth almost fell open at the sight, while Ashley's eyes widened and I felt my heart pick up the pace a little.

"Whoaa. Panel opens. Head explodes." I announced, hoping to death that another "baby" wolverine wasn't around to dart out from the darkness and attack us.

"No way ... it's a secret room." Russell noted in surprise.

"Are we like, in a movie right now?!" Ashley wondered out loud.

"If we are, I hope it's a rom-com." I said in an attempt to shed some humor. Unfortunately, while looking at the dark opening, I couldn't help but nervously clench my teeth.

"Feels more like a creepy knockoff of _Indiana Jones,_ if you ask me." Russell muttered under his breath.

My study partner remained uneasy. "Leave it to the Washington's to have secret passages in their house."

"Maybe they didn't even know. This place is _super_ old." I pointed out, right before I glanced over at the dusty blonde teen. "Did you know anything about there being secret passages here, Russ?"

"No, I had no clue." He replied, still staring at the entrance of the secret room. "I mean, Scott used to tell me all about there being plenty of hidden rooms in this house, but that's when we were kids. I thought he was just joking around with me ... and yet, after all these years, here we are with an _actual_ secret passageway right in front of us."

"So ... should we take a look?" Ashley asked, looking at him and then at me.

I nodded and motioned for her to enter. "Yeah, after you."

"No, no, nonono ... you go." Ash ordered. She handed the candlestick over to me and took a step back, wanting nothing to do with the secret passage.

"Gee, thanks." I scoffed with a sarcastic roll of my eyes.

Ashley ran her hands up and down her arms, but I couldn't tell if she was doing it because she was chilly or because she was creeped out. "Would you mind going in with him, Russ?" She requested ... and there was this tiny piece of me that could've sworn I saw her cheeks become bright pink at what she said after that, "I don't want him to go alone."

I felt an intense wave of heat pass over my face, and for the briefest second, I was relieved that it was so dim in the room. There were much more important matters to focus on right now, so I pushed any lovey-dovey thoughts that I had at that moment to the far back of my brain. Plus ... I bet it was just my eyes playing tricks on me when I thought I saw Ashley blushing...

"Don't worry, Ash. I'll follow him in." Russell reassured. He flicked his gaze over to me. "Let's do this, man."

* * *

 ** _WASHINGTON LODGE LIBRARY_**

 ** _23:19_**

* * *

I nodded, and despite how I still didn't like the idea of exploring a dark passage, I honestly felt a little better knowing that I wasn't going alone after all. I held the candle out in front of me and entered the secret room with Russell following shortly behind. Turns out, this passageway was _a lot_ smaller than I thought it was going to be. Aside from a couple of dusty shelves that were cluttered with boxes, more books, a couple of abandoned suitcases, and some plastic cubbies, there was nothing that seemed out of the ordinary. It literally just seemed like an extra storeroom.

"So ... what exactly are we looking for?" Russell asked as he walked towards the shelves.

I held the candlestick a little above my head, waving it back and forth to see if I could spot anything on the walls. "Uh ... I guess anything that could be counted as unusual or out of place." I replied with a sprinkle of uncertainty in my voice. "The spirit didn't exactly give the best details. It only mentioned 'proof' ... so keep your eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary."

"Got it." Russ said, in which he began to examine some of the junk on the shelves.

Just then, while studying the walls, I noticed something in the upper right corner. It looked like an old surveillance camera that was not only covered in cobwebs and dead flies, but there was this hairy spider sitting directly in the center of the lens. As soon as the light from the candle beamed against it, the spider twitched some of its legs and I immediately took a step back, even though I wasn't _that_ close to the corner. I emitted a low, disgusted groan and turned my back on the surveillance camera with a shudder, having a deep hatred for spiders.

"Did you find anything yet, Scarface?" I queried.

Russell slumped his shoulders and sighed. "So far, I only found a couple of broken CD cases, an old collection of baseball cards, some empty bottles of air freshener, and a dustpan that should've been thrown out a _long_ time ago. None of this stuff is connecting with what happened last ye-" Suddenly, Russell stopped talking and I noticed him look down at something that was on the lowest shelf. "Hey, wait a sec ... what's this?"

"What's what?" I inquired, unable to spot the item in time as the dusty blonde teen reached down and picked it up.

There was a short period of silence, in which Russell examined his discovery. Then, he glanced over his shoulder at me and said, "I think it's best if you come and see for yourself."

I didn't think twice before walking over to him, eager to find out what he'd found. After I made it over to his side, Russ handed the item over to me and it came to my realization that it was a portrait photo of the triplets. All three of them were posing in front of a mountain backdrop with smiles decorating their faces. Hannah was the furthest to the right, showing off her butterfly tattoo with her hands folded sweetly over her heart. Beth, on the other hand, was furthest to the left, wearing her favorite white sweater with her arm draped across Scott's shoulders. Lastly, Scott was between them, practically revealing all of his teeth from grinning so widely. His lightning bolt tattoo was also revealed and I could see his class ring on his middle finger as he intertwined his arm with one of Hannah's arms. The girls were peeking over at him, clearly trying not to laugh while the photo was being taken.

* * *

 ** _\+ CLUE FOUND - PORTRAIT PHOTO +_**

 ** _Note: A portrait of the Washington triplets. This must have been taken a few months before they disappeared._**

* * *

"What the..." Confusion fluttered in my eyes as I spoke. "What in the world is this doing in here?"

Russell continued to stare at the photo with a disappointed glint in his eyes. "I'm not sure ... but it definitely stands out from all of the useless junk that's in here." He pointed out.

"You could say that again." I muttered in agreement, trying to keep the sorrow out of my voice as I studied the faces of Scott, Beth, and Hannah.

"I think this could be the 'proof' that the entity was telling you, Josh, and Ash about." Russell shared. "After all, it's completely out of place in this room ... but there's still one problem. It doesn't really tell us anything about what happened to Scott, Hannah, and Beth after they disappeared."

I bit down on my bottom lip and dragged it between my teeth in thought. "I know ... but that doesn't change how _weird_ this whole thing still is." I stated as I then turned my head and made eye contact with my friend. "Who would've taken a picture of the triplets like this and just hidden it away in a secret room where nobody was likely to ever find it? ... And _why?_ "

Russell released a quiet sigh. "Now, those are two questions that I _really_ wish we had answers for."

I dropped my gaze back down to the picture and took down a small gulp to help clear a sad lump from my throat. Then, I decided to turn the photo over to see if there was a message written across the back like there'd been on the prom photo. There was ... but this one sure as hell didn't provide comfort or reminiscence. This message was printed in large, scrawly, effed up handwriting that looked like it had been done in _blood._

At the sight of it, I could've sworn that I felt every last drop of my blood grow cold and my pale blue eyes became as wide as saucers. At the same time, Russell's jaw practically dropped all the way down to the floor and almost all of the color drained out of his light olive complexion.

"Whoa..." I droned as my stomach drooped down to my feet.

"What the shit..." Russell breathed, stunned.

"What?" Ashley spoke from outside of the room.

"Whoa, is this..." I cut myself off, knowing that this was (unfortunately) real.

"What did you two find?" Ashley inquired.

Instead of responding to her, I kept scanning my eyes across the freaky message and Russell quietly read it out loud for both of us to hear. With every word, I felt a little more nauseous ... and I was even starting to feel slightly paranoid that somebody was watching us.

* * *

 _ **I WILL TAKE THEM AND BLEED THEM LIKE PIGS AND RIP THEIR SOFT WHITE SKIN OFF! DAMN 16 YEARS. 16 YEARS I WAITED FOR PRETTY LITTLE**_

 _ **HANNAH, SCOTT, AND BETH.**_

* * *

 ** _\+ CLUE FOUND - THREATENING LETTER +_**

 _ **Note:** **A creepy note written to the Washington family, threatening to exact revenge on Scott, Hannah, and Beth.**_

* * *

"Holy cow..." I muttered, shocked to the point where I almost forgot how to speak.

"I ... I can't believe this." Russ whispered almost breathlessly. "There was somebody ... _actually_ seeking revenge on the triplets ... and whoever they were, they were willing to wait a whole two years after writing this letter."

I reread the threatening letter. "How do you know that?"

"Hannah, Beth, and Scott were eighteen when they vanished ... and whoever wrote this said they've been waiting a whole _sixteen years._ " Sam's boyfriend explained, sounding like he was in the middle of juggling a million thoughts per second. "Holy damn ... do you remember that newspaper clipping we found in the storage room earlier? It talked about some case in which that crazy ex-janitor, Victor Milgrim, was screaming furiously at Mrs. Washington ... and she was pregnant with the triplets at the time."

As I recalled the information from the newspaper fragment, my lungs became deflated. "Shit, there was also that Wanted poster we saw at the Cable Car station with Sam." I pointed out. "It said the same guy was convicted for arson ... and this photo looks like it was purposely burned a bit."

Russell ran one of his hands through his hair. "Oh my God, this is _so_ effed up." He murmured in a tone that made it obvious he was trying to remain calm. "Come on, we better tell Ashley about this."

With no hesitation, I snapped my head up and grabbed his arm before he could leave the room. "Whoa, hang on a minute there, Russ." I balked, eyes a little wide. "Ashley is already freaked out as it is. The seance _really_ shook her up and the last thing I want is for her to get anymore scared."

The dusty blonde teen stared at me in disbelief. "So, what are you saying?" He demanded, crossing his arms. "You don't want us to tell her about this letter?"

"Well, when you say it like that, it makes it sound like a dick move." I retorted with a mixture of guilt and uncertainty swirling around inside my eyes. "I just think we should at least wait until she calms down."

A somewhat sympathetic look appeared on Russell's face as he sighed. "Listen, Chris..." He spoke gently. "I know that you want to protect Ash and I really respect that, but she deserves to know what's going on. She's just as curious and heartbroken about what happened last year as the rest of us are. Keeping this letter from her won't change that ... and sorry to burst your bubble, but lying about it also won't change the fact that there was ... and possibly still is ... somebody out there who wanted to get Scott, Beth, and Hannah out of the picture." He softly shook his head, a serious glint in his eyes. "If we lie to Ashley, not only will we regret it in the long run, but she'll feel betrayed when the truth comes out and this whole situation will make her fear come back. This is a _very_ serious matter ... and I know it's scary, but we can't hide from it. We can _try ..._ but I know from experience that hiding from your problems _never_ work." He stared directly into my eyes, making his point clear one final time. "She _deserves_ to know, Chris."

I bit down on my bottom lip as I returned his gaze, digesting each of his words. The look on his face was all I needed to see to know that he was hoping that I would listen to him and confess to Ashley that we'd found the spooky message. Then, as soon as I dropped my attention back down to the lightly burned photo, Ash hesitantly stepped into the doorway and said, "Did you guys find anything in here?"

Russ pursed his lips and turned around to face her, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he gave my arm a small nudge, indicating that he was going to let me choose whether or not to show her the letter.

* * *

 ** _X Protective (There's nothing here.)/Honest (Take a look at this...) X_**

 ** _Choice Chosen: Honest_**

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Russell's Relationship Status: Chris +1 (8/10)**

* * *

I internally sighed, knowing that Russell was right, and turned around to face my study partner. "Yeah, we did." I confirmed, and then spoke faster to get this over with. "Now, Ash ... neither of us want to freak you out, but ... but look at this..."

From the corner of my eye, I caught a tiny glimpse of Russell letting out a faint breath of relief. It was obvious that he was glad that I hadn't carried out my previous plan to put off our discovery until later.

"WHAT?" Ashley stared at the pleasant side of the photo with wide and anxious eyes. "CHRIS, RUSSELL, what IS that!?"

"We ... we think this might be what the spirit board wanted us to find-" I replied.

Ashley blinked. "The clue?"

Russell nodded while I said with slight nervousness slipping across my tongue, "Yeah, it's a letter."

"Let me see it." Ash persisted, holding her hand out.

I flipped the picture over to reveal the message, right before I handed it over to her. As her eyes began to dart across the scrawly words, I felt Russell give me a small pat on the back. Even though the look on his face was concerned since he was also watching Ashley, I could tell that doing that was his way of congratulating me for making the right choice. Maybe I would've been happier if this predicament wasn't so freaky.

"It's ... a threat." I informed.

"Apparently, whoever wrote it had some beef with the Washington's ... especially Hannah, Scott, and Beth." Russell incorporated, looking down at the floor at the mention of the triplets. "It _really_ makes you wonder what they possibly could've done to deserve having someone on this planet who wanted to hunt them down and ... and kill them." He had _major_ difficulties choking out those final three words, and I honestly couldn't blame him.

"Russ?" I said cautiously as I placed my hand on his shoulder and gave it a tiny squeeze.

"I'm alright ... I'm alright." He murmured, in which he lifted his head back up and pushed his shoulder-length hair back again. "Sorry, this is just ... _a lot_ to take in this evening."

I could see the devastation that was glimmering in his icy blue eyes, but I didn't say anything about it. Instead, I nodded in an understanding manner, gave his shoulder a couple of comforting pats, and glanced back at Ashley. At the same time, she just so happened to look up from the letter with a frantic look plastered on her face.

"Guys. This is _serious._ We need to find Josh _right now._ "

Russell and I didn't hesitate to exit the secret room, except this time, Russ was leading the way. I paused in the doorway and waited for Ashley to slide the threatening letter into the pocket of her hoodie. After that, I handed the candle back over to her and hooked my arm around her back, urging her forward since she seemed to have difficulty with getting herself to walk at first. We pursued after Russell, not even bothering to find a way to close the secret passage back up. However, as soon as we made it across the floor of Mr. Washington's office, Sam's boyfriend jerked to a stop in the doorway.

"Hey ... Ash, Chris..." He said, looking over his shoulder at us before he pointed at something across the next room. "What's that over there?"

I cocked an eyebrow in confusion. Then, almost immediately after Ashley and I looked over Russell's opposing shoulders, we noticed what it was that had caught his eye. There was a vent in front of another bookshelf ... and it looked like there was something shining from beneath the floor.

"W-what the heck?" Ashley whimpered as she hooked her hand around my wrist and sort of clung to my arm.

Once again, I felt my face grow a little hot; but I reminded myself that I needed to focus on the situation that we were in.

Russell narrowed his eyes in thought and took quiet, brisk steps over to the vent. Ash and I followed shortly behind, watching him. The dusty blonde teen then knelt down and carefully opened the hatch, filling the air with a _squeak._ That's when the three of us saw that there really was _light_ coming from somewhere underneath us.

* * *

 _ **\+ CLUE FOUND - LIGHT FROM BELOW +**_

 ** _Note: The electricity is out ... but there is an electric light shining from the room below the library._**

* * *

"Whoa..." I whispered, bending over a little in order to get a closer look. "Did ... did you two see that?"

"Yeah..." Ashley replied uneasily. She closed her eyes, shook her head a little, and then opened them again, obviously checking to see if this was just an illusion or something among those lines.

"It's good to know that you guys are seeing what I'm seeing." Russell remarked with his voice drenched in a mixture of confusion and curiosity. "There's definitely light coming from somewhere below us."

"But the power's not even on." I reminded, sounding a little creeped out.

Russell watched with slight worry as the light flickered a little. "This is Spooksville." He muttered slowly, right before he closed the hatch as softly as possible.

Just then, there was the sound of something creaking right behind us. At the speed of lightning, Russell pounced back up onto his feet and spun around to see where the noise was coming from. At the same time, Ashley released a startled yelp and we both quickly turned to face the direction of the sound. It had already stopped ... but the door that Ash had tried to open earlier was now wide open.

"Uhhh? ... What was that?" Ashley whispered as she squeezed my wrist tighter.

"I ... I don't know." I answered honestly, placing one of my hands on top of hers in the hopes of providing her at least some comfort. "Just keep calm, Ash."

She looked up at me, the flame from our candle bringing out the nervousness that was in her eyes. "But that door was locked the last time we checked it." She pointed out. "How could it have just opened all of the sudden?"

"Maybe there's a chance that you didn't turn the knob all the way and you just _thought_ it was locked." Russell suggested, but there was a tiny trace of doubt planted in his voice. "Let's not freak out or anything, guys. It was probably just a draft."

"But how can we be sure?" Ash inquired, still anxious.

Russ pursed his lips, hesitating for a moment. "I'll go first to check and see if the coast is clear." He settled.

"Oh! Wait!" Ashley loosened her grip on my wrist and stepped forward, holding the candle out to our brave friend. "Take this."

"Alright, thanks." Russell said.

He took the candlestick and held it out in front of him as he began to warily approach the dark doorway. The entire time, Ashley and I refused to look away from him and the sound of his army boots stepping across the creaky floorboards was the only thing preventing us from having complete silence. When he made it over to the door, Russell poked his head in and then stepped through about three seconds later. His eyes were squinted as he slowly waved the candle from left to right, not seeming to spot anything that was scary or weird.

"There's nobody here." Russell informed in a sort of relieved tone as he glanced back at me and Ashley. "Like I said, it was probably just a draft. Now, come on so we can search for Josh."

"You heard him, Ashley. It's safe." I whispered reassuringly. "Just stay close."

She nodded and drew in a breath to help relax herself as the two of us approached the doorway. Russell waited for us, the candlelight beaming against his face. Then, after we walked through the door, he motioned for us to keep following him down the long corridor that we'd walked through with Josh down earlier. We obeyed.

"Do you guys think someone was actually after Hannah, Beth, and Scott?" Ashley hesitantly asked.

I pursed my lips and replied, "If so, that would be _really_ messed up."

Russell then let out a quiet sigh, moving the candle back and forth so the light gleamed against a numerous amount of paintings and other objects. "Yeah ... but judging by that creepy message, it really does seem that way to me." He remarked sadly. "These days, you can never be sure of what to expect. People can be total nut-jobs."

"Ain't that the truth..." Ashley murmured in agreement.

As soon as the words "total nut-jobs" came out of Russell's mouth, I couldn't help but think about the Wanted poster and the newspaper article that revolved around Victor Milgrim again. Finding those things were unsettling enough, yet Russell made them even _more_ unsettling when he pointed out that the psycho letter mentioned waiting the same amount of time in which those clues would've been more useful for the authorities. Sixteen years ago, the ex-janitor was fired and convicted for arson ... and sixteen years ago, a mysterious person exacted revenge on Scott, Beth, and Hannah. This winter getaway was starting to take a _really_ dark and unpleasant turn.

Suddenly, just as Russell, Ashley, and I made it to end end of the long corridor, something caught my attention from the corner of my eye. I turned my head and noticed that it was a piece of paper lying on a table that was close to two large windows. It was between a lamp and a vase, stirring curiosity inside of me as I came to a halt. Ashley immediately did the same.

"Scarface, hold up." I spoke up, stopping him from grabbing the knob to the next door. "There's something over here."

"Where?" Russell questioned as he held the candle out towards me.

"Right here." I approached the table, noticing that there was barely any moonlight peering in through the shutters by this point.

My study partner and Sam's boyfriend followed me and stood on opposite sides as I picked the piece of paper up. As if he had read my mind, Russell held the candlestick closer so I could make out the words that were printed on the letter. Then, I read the whole thing out loud for him and Ashley to hear.

* * *

 ** _November 8, 2013_**

 ** _Dr. C. J. Swaffham_**

 ** _Race and Ethnicity Department_**

 ** _183 Haskell Hall 6130 Amsterdam Road_**

 ** _Vancouver, BC V72 9B1_**

 ** _Dear Dr. Swaffham,_**

 ** _Thank you for your response. It's good to know that the tribe still feel an attachment to the land here, even if we have a few unfortunate problems (graffiti, people sleeping in the outbuildings). This is their ancestral home, after all._**

 ** _I have made contact with the descendants of the tribe and intend to make a donation to their elder council._**

 ** _Healing the wounds of the past won't be easy, but I feel it's a step that is necessary._**

 ** _Yours sincerely,_**

 ** _Melinda Washington_**

* * *

I automatically recalled when Josh told me about strange people getting caught sleeping in the Cable Car stations. At first, I just assumed that it only happened once or twice ... but now, I realized that it must've happened plenty of times in order to have it listed as a complaint in a letter from Mrs. Washington. Although, graffiti was something that Josh never mentioned to me before.

"Graffiti all the way up here?" Ashley wondered aloud, voicing my thoughts.

"That's ... really strange." I noted. "I mean, Josh told me all about his dad finding random people sleeping in the stations, but graffiti never came up."

"Maybe he just never saw any." Ashley proposed with a small, uncertain shrug.

Something illuminated in Russell's eyes as he crossed his unoccupied arm over his stomach. "Well, Sam and I saw some on the way up here." He informed as he continued to look at the letter.

I glanced at him, slightly surprised. "What, really?"

"Yeah." Russell replied with an unsettled note inserted in his tone. "It was scrawled in red paint across the map at the Cable Car station ... at least, I _hope_ it was red paint." He sort of muttered that last part under his breath, which I was grateful for since Ash didn't seem to hear it. However, I did and it caused a chill to run down my spine.

"What did it say?" Ashley questioned.

Russ looked up from the letter and straightened his lips at us before he answered with, "' _The past is beyond our control._ '"

I could've sworn that I felt a giant knot form in the pit of my stomach. After years of seeing thousands of graffiti cases on campus and in the bathroom stalls back in high school, what Russell just said connected too well with what happened last year. It definitely didn't seem like something a homeless person would take the time to scribble down ... but if it wasn't one of the hobos that have been caught up here, then who else could it have been?

"Okay, that's..." Ashley shuddered, officially freaked out again. "That's _really_ weird..."

As she said that, I decided to flip the letter over to see if there was anything on the back. There was. It was a short note that was printed in Mrs. Washington's handwriting.

"Hey, there's something else on here." I informed, causing my two friends to lock their attention back down on the piece of paper that was in my hands. "Looks like it was written by Josh's mom."

"Yeah, she's really making an effort to set things right with some native tribe or something." Ashley said.

"Yeah ... the bad karma goes back a long way." I squinted slightly at the elegant cursive letters, trying to understand what they said. "Now, what exactly did Mrs. Washington write here?"

Once again, Russell moved the candle closer so the note was more visible; but this time, he took the liberty to read it out loud for me and Ash.

* * *

 ** _Saw that crazy guy again,_**

 ** _Thurs 9.17pm - hanging around the generator shed,_**

 ** _I'm going to start keeping a record._**

* * *

 _ **\+ CLUE FOUND - NATIVE AMERICAN LETTER +**_

 _ **Note: A letter from Josh's mother about the Native American tribes that used to live on the mountain. On the back is a scrawled note about a strange man she saw near the lodge.**_

* * *

Russell covered his mouth in a mixture of shock and disbelief after he finished reading what Mrs. Washington had written.

Ashley's green eyes expanded at the same time, becoming the size of two globes. "Crazy guy?" She whispered. "Josh's mom saw a crazy guy around the generator shack?"

It was a very similar reaction to when the planchette spelled out the word "Sibling" during the seance.

"M-maybe it was just the handyman." I remarked, stuttering slightly from trying to come up with an explanation too fast. "He swings by unannounced to check up on the mountain half of the time."

"Then why would Mrs. Washington address him as 'that crazy guy'?" Ashley queried, not convinced. "Josh and his parents know all of their hired help like the back of their own hands, Chris." Just then, she paled a little and she drew in a sharp breath. "Oh my God ... what if this crazy guy is the one who wrote that letter? What if _he_ was the one who was after Scott, Beth, and Hannah?"

Russell quickly withdrew his hand from over his mouth as soon as he heard that. "Okay, let's not panic." He ordered in a surprisingly calm voice. "Here, Chris, let me see that."

I handed the letter over to him, and he traded it with the candlestick. Then, he flipped the paper back over and pointed at something towards the top.

"It says here that this letter was written two months before the triplets disappeared. If that crazy guy had been spotted anytime around January or within the first week of February, I highly doubt Josh's parents would've allowed Hannah to host last year's party up here."

Ashley softly nodded her head. "Alright, alright..." She said, starting to sound a little calm again. "That's a pretty good point, Russ."

"Do you guys think Josh knows about this?" I asked, flicking my attention back and forth between my two friends.

"Only one way to find out." Russell replied as he sat Mrs. Washington's letter back down in its original spot on the table. "Let's go find him and tell him everything we found. Quickly."

This time, I led the way with a million thoughts and unanswered questions running through my mind. I grabbed the knob and twisted it as far as it could go to make sure that it wasn't locked. When it was confirmed that it wasn't, I pushed the door open and filled the air with a soft, eerie _creak._ Then, I walked through the foyer with Ashley and Russell following closely behind. At last, we had made it back into the Great Room ... and at that moment, I couldn't help but think about everything that Russ had told me while we were in the secret room. Ashley _did_ deserve to know everything that was going on and keeping any of the details from her wouldn't make this situation any less disturbing or serious.

"So, um..." I stepped down the single stair that was right outside the foyer's doorway and turned to look at my study partner. "I've just been thinking about something I saw earlier with Russ and Sam..."

Ashley and Russell immediately stopped walking and glanced at me, the three of us forming a small triangle. The look in Russell's eyes gave it away that he knew what I was doing, but Ash looked genuinely confused.

"What?" She inquired.

I clenched the candlestick a little tighter in my hand, trying to find the right words to say. "There was, like, this Wanted poster - like full on western-style, you know?" I described.

Russell placed his right hand on his hip and added, "It talked about some fugitive that goes by the name Victor Milgrim."

"So?" Ashley spoke in a tiny voice as she gave a slight, anxious shrug.

I nervously shifted my weight back and forth from one leg to the other, still trying my hardest to break all of this to her in the best way there was.

"And Sam and I really thought there was someone following us around..." Russell cut in, rubbing the back of his neck with his other hand. "We kept hearing twigs breaking, bushes rustling ... all of the typical horror movie crap. But every time we turned around, there was nothing there. Not even animals."

Ash crossed her arms and her face started to transform into a terrified look again. "So ... so what? You guys are saying that there's some criminal up on the mountain with us?"

I peeked down at the floor for a moment before speaking again. "I mean, maybe that was whoever was down in the basement before."

"What?!" Ashley and Russell blurted out at the exact same time, but their tones were different. Ash was frightened, while Russ was looking at me like he couldn't believe I just made a suggestion like that.

"Under the floorboards ... in the library." I explained, looking at my study partner and then at Sam's boyfriend. "The light!"

Russell shook his head, not taking that theory into consideration. "Don't make ridiculous accusations like that, Chris." He ordered with a serious look in his eyes. "There's _no way_ that some criminal managed to break into this lodge. You, Sam, Lucas, and Josh were in the basement earlier and none of you saw any traces of a fugitive ... right?"

"Well, yeah, but..." I tried to say that it was only a thought, but the dusty blonde teen cut me off.

"But _nothing._ You and I had enough difficulties trying to climb in through one of the windows in order to defrost the lock at the front door, so it's just not possible that some stranger found a way in for themselves. Plus, I highly doubt they would know how to hook up the power so only one room gets electricity."

I pursed my lips at him, seeing that he wasn't going to believe that thought of mine anytime soon. Although, in my defense, it really was just a theory.

"Why would some complete stranger even want to try breaking in here?" Ashley questioned.

"Well, there was that guy Russell and I told you about-" I reminded, adjusting my glasses slightly.

She cut me off, exclaiming, "Wait, wait, wait. What guy!?"

"The guy who threatened the Washingtons..." I replied, and Russell nodded his head to help back me up. "He said he wanted to take revenge by burning the whole place down."

"And that Wanted poster mentioned Victor Milgrim being convicted for arson." Russ incorporated shortly after. "So, either they're the same person, or this is just one hell of a _disturbing_ coincidence."

"And we found that crazy psycho letter!" I added on, thinking that piece of information was too huge to leave out.

Ashley nervously scratched her arm. "Russell, Chris, if this is your way of trying to make me _feel better ..._ you're both fired."

I opened my mouth to say something back, but before I could get a word out, I saw something that I didn't expect to see. The doors that led into the kitchen started to get roughly jiggled, as if somebody was trying to get out of the room. Then, there was the sound of someone yelling at the top of their lungs. No, not yelling - _screaming._

With no hesitation, Ashley, Russell, and I snapped our heads over in the direction of the kitchen doors. As the screaming continued, Russell's face began overrun by alarm and Ashley's was masked with worry. The two of them gazed at me and then exchanged glances with each other, evidently freaked out.

"You guys hear that?" I asked, in which Russell and Ash bolted over to the huge doors.

He stood inches away from her left side as she opened one of the doors up and poked her head into the dim kitchen.

"That was Josh-!" Ashley panicked as the screaming got even louder ... and at that moment, I realized that it really _did_ belong to my best friend.

My eyes shot gigantic. "Coming from the kitchen-!" I exclaimed as I hurried over to one of the nearby tables to set the candle down.

"JOSH?!" Ashley called out, horrified and anxious.

"JOSH, WHERE ARE YOU?!" Russ hollered next. "ARE YOU OKAY?!"

"JOSH!" I yelled, finally finding a spot to place the candlestick. "We're coming! Hold on!"

As soon as those words left my mouth, something absolutely _terrifying_ happened. In the blink of an eye, Ashley was grabbed by something that Russell and I failed to see in time. It jerked her into the kitchen, and despite how Russell attempted to grab her other arm and pull her back, the door was slammed in his face before he could do anything.

"OH, DAMMIT!" Russell bellowed, now frightened.

He grabbed the knob of the other door and tried turning it, but it was locked. At the same time, I dashed over as fast as I could and gripped the knob of the door that had previously been opened ... but it was also locked. As all of this happened, Russ and I could hear the sound of Ashley shrieking and trying to call for help.

"OH MY GOD! ASH!" Russell screamed as he began to pound his fist against the door that he was stationed at.

"ASHLEY?!" I hollered immediately after, jiggling the knob as roughly as I could. "What's going on?! Let us in!"

"Shit, these damn locks!" Russ cursed with pure panic in his icy blue orbs.

He stopped banging on the door long enough for us to hear the sound of Ashley's screaming being resorted to grunts. Then, everything in the kitchen fell silent.

"Ashley! Are you okay?!" I yelled with my voice drowning in worry; but when nobody responded, I quickly shot my attention over to Russell. "Come on, let's bust these doors open!"

Russell immediately nodded, right before he attempted to peek through the _insanely_ slim crack that was between the doors. Of course, he couldn't manage to see whatever had happened; but that didn't stop him from hollering out, "Don't worry, Ash! We're coming in!" After that, while continuing to grip his knob to the point where his knuckles were becoming as pale as a sheet, he started to roughly ram his shoulder into the door that he was stationed at. I did the same thing to the other door, ignoring the pain that each ram sent throughout my body.

"We're..." I grunted, ramming the door again. "Gonna..."

At last, after one final ram each, both of the kitchen doors flew open.

"Ugh!" Russell and I cried out as we both toppled down to the stone floor. I landed face-first while Russell landed on his right side beside me. It was a good thing that his camera was positioned at his left hip, even though a damaged camera would've definitely been the least of our problems right now.

With a groan, I pushed myself up onto my knees and shakily began to stand. Then, as I fixed my glasses, I was stunned to see Ash lying in the fetal position on the ground before me, knocked out.

"Ash...?" Fear electrocuted through every single vein in my body. "ASH!"

"Oh, God! No!" I heard Russell exclaim, making it clear that he'd just seen Ash.

Suddenly, just as I took a quick step forward in an attempt to run over to Ashley, I was caught off guard when somebody leaped out at the speed of lightning from behind one of the doors. I didn't have enough time to take in their full appearance. All I saw was a freaky clown mask before I saw the threatening figure throw their fist back.

"HEY-!" I tried yelling, wanting to alert Lucas, Josh, or Sam since they were the only three that were left in the lodge right now.

However, before I could get another word out, the masked man slammed their gloved fist directly between my eyes. In less than a second, a painful dizziness swept through my head and my glasses became lopsided as I toppled back down onto my stomach. My vision flickered back and forth from blurry to hear, and every single noise seemed to echo in my ears. All I could do was lie there and breathe with complete pain flowing through my brain. It really felt like I was seconds away from falling unconscious.

"CHRIS!" Russell wailed at the same time that I was punched.

Through my cloudy vision, with my eyes remaining half opened, I managed to see him shoot up onto his feet so fast to the point where he tripped backwards. Luckily, he managed to grab one of the doorknobs to prevent himself from falling on his ass and he quickly regained his balance. His eyes looked like they were on the verge of falling out of his skull at the sight of the masked figure approaching him.

"HOLY SHIT!" Russell yelled with so much terror in his voice that there just had to be a new word to describe it. "GET THE HELL BACK! STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

Thinking fast, the dusty blonde teen grabbed his camera and pressed the correct button. An audible _click_ rang and a blinding white flash filled the air for a split second, causing the stranger to fling his hands up to his masked face and let out a furious scream. He stumbled back a couple of steps and yelled in a voice that was so deep that it was practically demonic, "YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

Breathing hard, Russell clenched his hand into a fist and attempted to strike the masked man. However, the stranger managed to dunk the punch and he grabbed Russell's arm with a fierce grip. My vision became clear for a moment, allowing me to witness the stranger ram his knee roughly into Russell's gut. Then, as my friend let out a distressed scream, the stranger flew his fist back and connected it with Russell's right eye. With that, my vision became hazy again and Russell collapsed flat on his back, knocked out with the masked man staring down at him.

"R-Russ..." I managed to whisper, unable to say much more due to the pain.

Suddenly, the stranger snapped his attention over to me again. I let out an aching breath as he approached me again. This time, I heard him let out a couple of dark snickers, right before he lifted his foot up and slammed his boot against my forehead.

Everything went black.

* * *

 **A/N: There you go, my spectacular readers. I hope you all enjoyed _Isolation!_ :D Ethan has _finally_ made his appearance!**

 **Please give me feedback on your thoughts of this chapter. Don't be shy to share your opinions. You can PM them to me at anytime or write them in the comment section. Really, I'm _super_ thankful for feedback and it helps me very much. I also appreciate it, so don't ever feel like you have to hold back. Please review, and thank you all very much. :)**

 **Fun Fact : If you didn't catch this, Ethan made a reference to the show, _Mr. Robot._ The actor who portrays Josh (Rami Malek) also plays the lead character, Elliot, from that show.**

 **Well, ladies and gentlemen, the time has come for me to officially end this chapter.**

 **I hope you all have a wonderful day! I wish you all happy reading and writing! :D**

 **Crystalteen, out!**


	7. Loyalty (Part I)

**A/N: Greetings, my fabulous readers! Are you all having a nice day? I hope so! :)**

 **I'm sure you're all aware that the drama was _really_ starting to kick off in the previous chapter and now it's time for me to bring you all more suspense! :D **

**Nonetheless, before we begin, I would like to take the time to specially thank all of you again for loving this story so far. Seriously, with all of the admiration and excitement I have been receiving so far for _Return to Blackwood Mountain,_ it makes it difficult for me to believe that I'd been on the fence about creating it in the first place. I'm very glad that I decided to write this story for you all and I can't thank you enough for reading it, adding it to your favorites/follows, and posting your thoughts. It means _so much_ to me, so let's keep it up. We still have quite a long way ahead of us and _anything_ can happen in this story. ;)**

 **Keep in mind, I absolutely adore feedback and I look forward to all of it very much. Please don't hesitate to share your opinions on this story in the reviews or you can PM them to me at anytime. Make sure to review! Thank you, everybody! :)**

 **Well, the time has finally arrived for the first part of _Loyalty_ to take place. I hope you are all ready for a wild ride! Get yourself some popcorn and soda, sit back, relax, and enjoy chapter 7 of _Return to Blackwood Mountain!_ :D :D **

**Happy reading, my fantastic viewers!**

* * *

 ** _4\. Loyalty (Part I)_**

 ** _& SEVEN HOURS UNTIL DAWN&_**

* * *

 **Mike's POV**

 _ **Cabin**_

 _ **23:59**_

When the window shattered and Jess was grabbed by God knows who, I jumped back and let out a startled scream. It was drowned out by the sound of her shrieking at the top of her lungs as she tried pulling her head away from the unknown threat, but it had a firm grip on her hair. The long, chipped, dirty nails belonging to the attacker were roughly digging into my girlfriend's hairline, causing her terrified shrieks to shoot up a few more octaves. Her bright green eyes were staring directly at me, swarming with pain and plead to save her ... but as much as I despised admitting it, I was too stunned to move at that moment.

All of the color had disappeared from my skin and my eyes were humongous, literally feeling like they were bulging out of my skull. My mouth opened and closed multiple times as I felt a mixture of fear and rage stir inside my stomach. I tried forcing myself to holler out to whoever had Jess to let her the hell go ... but due to my shocked state, no words came out.

As for Ethan, who was still standing beside me, he looked _beyond_ petrified. Not only did his hazel eyes appear to be too gigantic for his head, but as soon as we saw Jess get yanked off her own feet, his jaw practically dropped all the way down to the floor and he flew his hands up to his mouth in shock. Within seconds after that, while watching the leftover pieces of jagged glass slice across Jessica's arms and the strip of skin that was left bare between her jeans and the hem of her undershirt, his legs started to quiver like Jell-o and water began to weld up in the corners of his wide eyes.

Then, just like that, my beige-blonde babe was yanked clear out the window, leaving behind nothing but some drops of blood dotted along the shards and the sound of her screams as they grew fainter in the distance. Just like that, all of the anger that was boiling inside of me vanished and all that was left was my terror. For all I knew, those hands could've belonged to a rapist or even a murderer ... and now, they were dragging Jess off to Christ knows where!

Ethan looked back and forth from me to the shattered window, surprisingly not giving himself whiplash. A few tears escaped from his eyes and leaked down his cheeks.

"Holy crap! Holy crap! What the hell?!" He swore, running his hands through his messy hair in an evident panic. "This can't be happening! ... This _can't_ be freaking happening!"

I drew in one heavy breath after another, hoping to God that I wouldn't pass out.

"NO!" Ethan then yelled as he threw his arms down to his sides and bolted over to the door. One of the cheap curtains that hung beside the broken window smacked him directly in the face, but he immediately shoved it out of the way, grabbed the knob with a fierce grip, and jerked the door open so fast that it slammed into the wall with a loud _BANG._ A flurry of snowflakes and the sharp, winter breeze instantly started pouring into the cabin, causing the nature-obsessed teen to squint as his hair and poncho were blown back. I could only imagine how much that made his watery eyes sting.

"JESS!" Ethan wailed into the darkness of the evening, right before he took off running outside. "JEEEESSS!"

"Oh, shit!" I exclaimed, finally recovering my ability to speak. "Oh, shit! What the shit?!"

With my grip firmer than ever before on the electric lantern, I raced over to the hunting rifle and snatched it off its shelf. After that, I didn't think twice before jetting over to the door, immediately feeling the difference in the temperature. By this time, it was obvious that it had dropped all the way down into the negatives. The wind was like sheer ice, cutting through my hair, tormenting every inch of my bare skin, and making my teeth chatter. Nonetheless, in that horrifying moment, I wasn't planning on letting _anything_ get in the way of rescuing my beige-blonde babe.

"JESSICA!" I shouted as loud as my vocals could go, darting across the porch.

Instead of wasting any time in jogging down the stairs, I jumped down them and ended up jerking to a stop when I realized that Ethan hadn't run off as far as I thought he did. He was looking down at the ground directly in front of the cabin with his hands positioned over his mouth again; but this time, judging by the many more tears that were now sliding down his cheeks, it was obvious that he was doing it in an attempt to prevent himself from sobbing.

"M-Mike!" Ethan choked out. He looked at me like a helpless five-year-old and then back down at the ground, in which I followed his gaze.

Aside from the busted parts of the window's frame and pieces of bloody glass, there was a long strip in the snow that led away from the cabin and through the woods. It was clear that this was formed from Jess thrashing around, trying to escape as the attacker dragged her away.

"Oh my God!" I breathed, feeling the hairs on the back of my neck shoot up. "Oh my God..."

"T-they took her!" Ethan cried, as if I didn't already know that. "They kidnapped Jess! ... H-holy Mother of Nature, this _can't_ be real! It just _can't_ be!"

I pierced him with a scolding look, which was all that was needed in order to get him to wipe the tears away from his cheeks. "No matter how many times you say that, it won't change anything!" I barked over the sound of the branches blowing around with some anger making a return inside of me. "So, do us both a favor and get a hold of your damn self! We need to focus right now!"

The chocolate-haired lad looked at me with a worried frown covering his face. Then, with some drops of water still on his eyelashes, he slowly nodded his head and began drawing in deep breaths to try calming himself. Every time he exhaled, a misty cloud formed in the air from his breath. As harsh as I might've sounded, I couldn't help it. We were already in a _huge_ predicament and the last thing I needed was to handle Ethan's bawling on the side of saving Jess from the asshole who was going to pay for kidnapping her.

"Right ... you're right..." Ethan continued to breathe, nodding bashfully. "Sorry, Mike..."

I looked off in the direction where the streak in the snow led. Just like that, my annoyance vanished and my anxious look returned to my face as my mind replayed the terrifying scene of Jessica getting taken away. Surely, by following this strip in the snow, me and Ethan would be able to find her and get her back!

"Ethan!" I took a few brisk steps forward and turned to him frantically, still hurrying towards the trail while I motioned for him to follow with the rifle. "Ethan, come on! Follow me! We need to hurry!"

With no hesitation, the nature-obsessed teen obeyed and the two of us began bolting up the path as fast as our legs could carry us.

"JESS!" I hollered, listening to my voice bounce off the trees and echo through the air. "Jess..."

"JESSICA!" Ethan called out next, cuffing his hands around his mouth to help his words travel further. "WHERE ARE YOU?! ... JESS!"

I tried my hardest to listen for a response, but the wind was wailing like a banshee and the snow was crunching loudly beneath mine and Voodoo Boy's feet. My eardrums were already beginning to ache, yet I wielded myself to keep listening. Jessica's safety meant a hell of a lot more than me than any discomfort that I could possibly face at this time. However, there was no response from her, resulting in me mumbling a nervous F-bomb under my breath.

Ethan and I trampled over overgrown roots that were poking out from underneath the snow and stray twigs that were spewed across the surface. There were even a few times in which the fifteen-year-old almost tripped over some of the twigs, grunting every time one of his boots hit one. He was breathing hard and his entire face was already covered in a bright red tint from the nippy weather as he fought to keep up with me. Ethan has always been the clumsiest person I knew, but it was a good thing that he was able to catch himself since we didn't have time to stumble around. There was the possibility that Jess was getting beaten or molested by her kidnapper, and we - well, at least _I_ \- needed to save her. If anything, Ethan was only here for pointless emotional support.

"Oh, oh! Mike, look!" Ethan exclaimed quickly, pointing at something that was further ahead of us as we continued to race along the trail. "I see something!"

With the bitter mountain air tormenting my lungs, I squinted and extended the lantern out in front of me in an attempt to spot whatever it was that he was talking about. At first, I didn't see anything ... but then, for the smallest amount of time, I was able to make out a hazy outline of some figure further ahead. I couldn't see any distinct features due to how dark it was, and not to mention how I was getting hit directly in the eyes by snowflakes, but I was able make out that the figure was hunched over and roughly pulling something behind it.

Suddenly, the sound of my girlfriend's horrified voice punctured the air, "AHHH! AHH! LET GO OF ME! GET OFF!"

My pale brown orbs shot huge, swarming with alarm as it came to my realization that the "thing" that was being dragged by the unknown figure was squirming around like a desperate worm on a hook. There was no doubt in my mind that it was Jess ... and as my brain processed this, I couldn't tell whether I felt more relieved or terrified. Voodoo Boy and I might've been catching up, but the attacker _still_ had Jess in their grasp and they had one hell of a head start.

"Oh gosh! Oh my gosh!" Ethan heaved and picked up the pace a little more, keeping his panicked eyes locked dead ahead. "JESS! HOLD ON!"

"YOU PUNK-ASS BITCH!" I yelled out to the kidnapper in the most threatening voice that I could pull off in that moment. "LET HER GO!"

A strained grunt escaped from Ethan's mouth as he almost stumbled over _another_ stray branch. His body arched forward and for a split second, as I witnessed this from the corner of my eye, I really did think that he was going to fall; but luckily, he grabbed a hold of his balance again and straightened himself back up as we kept charging through the shadows of the woods.

My girlfriend's abductor didn't holler anything back, nor did they follow my order to release her. Instead, they started dragging her at an even _faster_ pace and their dim shapes became even foggier.

"NOO! GIVE HER BACK!" I screamed, no longer able to see the outline of the attacker or my beige-blonde babe. "JESSIIICCAAA!"

"AHHH! AHH! AHH!" Her frantic screams became faint again, every word sounding further away than the last. "LEAVE ME ALONE! AHHH! MIIIKKKEE! ETHHAANN!"

Ethan smacked a numerous amount of tree branches out of our way as he called back at the top of his lungs, "WE'RE COMING! WE'RE COMING!"

One of the branches almost struck me in the face as it came ricocheting back, but I managed to dunk under it just in time with a yelp. I quickly flicked my attention back and forth from straight ahead to the strip in the show, making sure that Voodoo Boy and I were still following it. Then, shortly ahead, I came to a sharp stop when the trail abruptly split.

" _SHIT!_ " I mentally bellowed, in which I extended the rifle out at my side to prevent Ethan from running into the pointy pieces of a demolished fence that used to be there.

He skidded to a halt beside me and rested his hands on his knees, breathing heavier than ever before. "H-holy ... holy crap..." He panted with a small cough.

A noisy river had appeared in front of us, slicing the path into two parts. On the right, the trail continued, curving behind a series of rocks and more trees. It led up to a rundown bridge, where I could just barely make out a gap that was located in the direct center from where I was standing. Then, the trail continued northwest ... and I saw the line in the snow that had been formed from Jess trying to escape from her kidnapper.

"What the..." I whispered to myself with my voice drenched in disbelief. "How the hell did they get all the way over there so fast?"

The river roared, causing me to look at it. It was on the opposite side of the split in the path, containing slick metal tubing and flowing water that must've been colder than ice. At first, due to how scared I was for Jessica, my brain almost skipped over what was on the opposite side of the stream. Then, within seconds, I saw it: the river provided a shortcut to where the trail continued on the other side. However, there was no doubt in my mind that if Ethan and I tried to cross the stream, we would face the risk of slipping into the water and receiving frostbite, pneumonia, and/or hypothermia. Though, at the same time, this was a _very_ urgent situation and we couldn't afford to waste any time.

Ethan straightened himself back up and examined both paths like a startled animal, still catching his breath. "I-I don't see Jess anywhere." He said worriedly. "W-what do we do now?"

I bit down on my bottom lip, thinking frantically about our two options. We could either take the safe route, which would take us more time to get to the other side ... or we could take the dangerous route that guaranteed a faster way, but with the possible price of getting soaked. Shit, I've never been so stressed about anything before in my entire life!

* * *

 _ **X Risk Shortcut/Follow Path X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Risk Shortcut**_

* * *

At last, after what felt like an eternity, I settled on what to do. I glanced over at the fifteen-year-old, feeling my heart practically pounding in my throat as I used my head to gesture urgently towards the stream.

"This way!" I proclaimed, right before I trotted over to the edge of the river and quickly seated myself on the bank to prevent tripping. Then, I inched myself as closely to the water as I could and stood back up, not giving a crap about the new coating of snow that was now covering the back of my pants.

Ethan stared at the river like it was flowing with molten lava. "We're crossing through _that?_ " He asked, his tone utterly terrified.

"You got any better ideas?" I inquired as I looked back at him from over my shoulder. "We don't have time to take the long route! That bastard still has Jess and they already made it all the way over to the other side! We'll be able to get to them faster by jumping across these tubes!"

"But what if we fall in?" Ethan inquired, at which he nervously reached up and grazed his fingertips across the Yin-Yang pedant of his necklace.

"We have _much_ bigger problems than some cold water, Voodoo Boy!" My face hardened into a serious stare as I spat my words in a much stricter tone. "Like it or not, we're risking this shortcut! Time for you to nut up or shut up!"

Ethan cringed when I addressed him as "Voodoo Boy" and by the end of my final sentence, he looked ashamed in himself. He withdrew his hand from the charm around his neck and eyed the river as he drew in a quick, deep breath.

"I'll nut up, I'll nut up." Ethan assured, almost like he was begging me to believe him. "I'll do it for Jessie."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes, only because I knew how much Jess _despised_ being called "Jessie." Although, considering the situation, I knew that there was no point in reminding the fifteen-year-old about that.

"Good. Now, less talking and more hurrying!" I ordered as I carefully stepped onto the first frosty tube. Slight nervousness slipped across my tongue when it then came to my realization that the tubing was _a lot_ icier than I previously assumed. "Just ... just watch how I do it and follow my example!"

I tightened my grip on the rifle and the electric lantern, feeling Ethan's gaze locked on me as I leaped onto the second piece of tubing. Unfortunately, this one wasn't as secure as the first tube and the current that was flowing through it almost made me lose my balance. One of my shoes slicked across the slippery metal, causing the nature-obsessed teen to release a startled gasp; but I managed to regain my footing with a split second left to spare and I didn't think twice before leaping over onto the third tube. I ran across it, breathing roughly with my boots pounding against the metal, and then jumped onto the final worn out piece of tubing. At last, after dodging some patches of frost that rimmed the edges of the last tube, I successfully made it across the river.

" _Oh, thank Christ!_ " I internally huffed after my feet made it back onto solid ground.

I spun back around and looked at Ethan, who was staring directly back at me from the opposite side of the stream with a mixture of relief and anxiety glowing in his eyes. He also had his hands folded together with the mini dreamcatcher from his charm bracelet tucked between his fingers, giving it away that he must've been praying to Mother Nature or whichever deity it was that he praised.

"Alright, piece of cake!" I called out to him, trying not to sound too frantic in order to prevent him from chickening out. "It's not as hard as it looks! Just think, the faster you do it, the faster it'll be over with and the faster we'll find Jess! Now, come on!" I motioned for him to hurry up with the lantern, secretly growing more and more afraid about my girlfriend's well-being with every single second that ticked by.

Ethan looked down at the stream and then back at me, clearly trying to not let the flowing water intimidate him.

"Okay!" He called back, holding his arm up to guard his face from a sharper gust of wind. "Okay, here I come!"

I watched the chocolate-haired lad closely as he carefully extended his arms out as his sides and settled the tip of his right shoe on the first piece of tubing. Then, after cautiously lowering the rest of his foot onto the metal, Ethan quickly pulled his other leg away from the land and he began to walk across the tube like he was crossing a tightrope. With every step he took, his speed increased slightly and he managed to hop over onto the second tube with his poncho madly flapping in the sharp wind. However, in the process, one of his legs swept out from underneath him and his foot, for the briefest second, got dunked in the icy water.

"Agh-dammit!" Ethan cringed as he ripped his foot back out of the river and fought eagerly to get his balance back. "Cold! That's freaking _cold!_ "

"Well, of course it is! It's February, for God's sake!" I proclaimed, gesturing for him to pick up the pace again. "Just be more careful and hurry up! We don't have much time!"

The fifteen-year-old gave a quick nod and managed to regain his stability. Unfortunately, when he made it across the second tube and jumped over to the next piece of tubing, his clumsiness took control of him again. In one swift motion, his feet skidded across the ice and he didn't get a chance to fight for his balance again.

"WHOA!" Ethan screamed, eyes shooting huge as he fell off the tube and landed flat on his back in the river with a loud _SPLASH._

I fought the urge to smack my hand against my forehead, despite how I internally cringed from how rough that landing looked.

The nature-obsessed teen immediately sat up in the water, completely soaked. His mouth was gaping open like a frog that was waiting to catch some flies and his dripping hair was drooping in front of his face.

"Oh my aura! O-oh my aura!" Ethan exclaimed, evidently shocked that he had fallen into the stream. "C-crap! Crap, crap!"

He attempted to stand up a few times, but the current kept knocking him back over. The furthest he was able to get up was on his hands and knees like a dog. He was trembling like he'd just been thawed out of an iceberg and breathing shakily. He crossed his arms over his chest, as if he was trying to embrace himself. His breath appeared in the air like puffs of smoke from a cigarette, and there was no doubt in my mind that he was going to catch a _serious_ cold if he didn't get out of that damn river.

* * *

 ** _X Help Ethan/Keep Running X_**

 _ **Choice Chosen: Help Ethan**_

* * *

I knew what I had to do and I hated it, mainly because Jess was in a _far more_ dangerous predicament and Ethan, despite his ultra-slim and five-foot-five frame, shouldn't have allowed himself to get taken down by a current.

"Oh, for crying out loud, Ethan!" I groaned as I quickly sat the lantern down on a medium-sized rock. "I told you to be careful!"

Ethan pushed his wet bangs out of his face and looked over at me like an embarrassed toddler that had just had a potty accident. "I-I didn't know i-it would be _THAT_ s-slippery!" He called back through chattering teeth.

As he gave that pathetic excuse, I quickly removed the hunting rifle's strap from around me and placed it in a crease between the same rock and another rock, not wanting to lose it. I'll admit, I _was_ tempted to just run off and continue the rescue mission ... but I knew that I couldn't leave Ethan in the position that he was in.

"Hang on, I'm coming in!" I grumbled loud enough to be heard over the roaring river. " _I swear, it's like we're kids all over again. I'm **always** saving his ass ... God, this is gonna suck._ "

I carefully stepped down a couple of stones that were along the bank and reluctantly stepped one foot into the water. In less than a second, I clenched my eyes shut and muttered a sharp F-bomb through chattering teeth. The stream was a hell of a lot colder than I'd anticipated. It literally felt like every single vein in my body was being turned into pure ice. Nonetheless, despite the goosebumps that automatically vibrated across every inch of my bare arms and the sharp stinging sensation that immediately started to torment my shins from the water, I forced myself to pull my other foot in.

"Holy shit, this current..." I cringed, unable to finish the sentence from how cold I was. Turns out, the current was _much_ stronger than I'd previously thought. It almost made me lose my balance just seconds after I stepped in, but I thankfully managed to stay standing. Although, just to be safe, I placed one of my hands against the tubes to help me fight against the moving water and quickly waded to the middle of the stream.

When I made it over to Ethan, he took a hold of my hand and I pulled him up. After that, with him still madly shivering, the chocolate-haired lad wrapped his arm around my shoulders to prevent himself from being shoved down again. Considering the scenario, I didn't bother to protest. Instead, I placed my hand firmly on his wrist in order to ensure that his arm wouldn't slip away and corrected our path.

"Alright, Voodoo Boy!" I exclaimed, almost stumbling over a small stone that was planted in the muddy floor of the river. "Time to haul ass!"

With no hesitation, Ethan and I raced through the freezing water as fast as we could, still using the tubes to lean against when we almost got knocked down by the current once or twice. The second after we made it to the opposite side of the stream, I shoved Ethan's arm away and hurried out of the water first. Then, I watched as the nature-obsessed teen clambered up the edge like a newborn horse that was trying to learn how to walk before gingerly helping himself back up onto his feet. He was completely _drenched,_ causing him to literally act like a dog by shaking off as much of the water as possible.

I immediately turned my head away, feeling a few of the airborne drops hit against my neck and face.

"T-thanks, Mike." Ethan stammered, right before he folded his hands over his mouth and blew into them in an attempt to warm them up.

Again, considering our predicament, I completely discarded his appreciation and glanced back at him disdainfully. "You know something? I'm _really_ starting to wonder if I'll _ever_ get to stop being your personal bodyguard." I said in a condescending tone. "Seriously, Ethan, _when_ are you going to _stop_ depending on me and other people to get your ass out of trouble?! Our childhood is _over._ Need I remind you that you're _fifteen_ now? ... Sheesh, this isn't even the first time I've had to step in to save you from drowning."

As I grumbled my last sentence, I retrieved the electric lantern and the rifle from where they were still sitting on the rocks.

Almost instantly, Ethan's hazel orbs started flickering with guilt and he looked down at his damp hiker boots, still quivering from the cold. "I-I swear, I really didn't mean to fall in..." He said with a small frown molded across his lips. "I'm sorry..."

I opened my mouth to say something back, but before I could get a word out, the sound of an agitated scream belonging to none other than Jessica sliced through the air like a jagged blade from somewhere in the distance. In less than a second, the chocolate-haired lad and I snapped our attention in the direction in which my girlfriend's shriek had come from. It was as if the river incident had never happened, considering how my disapproval had transformed back into worry and Ethan's pout disappeared like it was never there. He even stopped shaking, and the two of us were now focused entirely on the rescue mission again.

We took off sprinting once again, squinting our eyes in the flurry as we followed the long and battered stripe in the snow. I could've sworn that I even spotted some drops of blood dotted along the trail, which was all I needed in order to forget about the strain that was starting to build up in my legs.

"JESS! JESSICA!" I howled, not giving a damn about how much my throat stung from how loud I was yelling. "JESSICAAA!"

"JESSIEEE!" Ethan called out shortly afterwards, evidently fighting against his stamina in order to keep dashing by this point. "CAN YOU HEAR US?! ... JESSICAAA!"

Our voices echoed through the air, but neither of us got a response from my beige-blonde babe. With this, I held the lantern out in front of us in the hopes of having the chance to spot the shadowy silhouette of Jess getting hauled away by her abductor again. However, all I could make out through the swirling clouds of snow were the shapes of more trees and rocks. This, of course, only egged me on more.

" _Shit, shit, shit!_ " I thought to myself, almost feeling like my heart was on the verge of exploding from how much I was running. " _Be strong, Jess! Be strong! We're coming, babe ... we're coming to get you back..._ "

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Voodoo Boy suddenly exclaimed, shooting his arm out in front of me. "Michael, look out!"

As soon as those words left his mouth, I ceased roughly in my tracks and realized that we had followed the strip in the snow to the overhang of a cliff. Ethan had even stopped with just a split second to spare, his tiptoes positioned on top of the ledge. He quickly stepped back to my side and glanced around in every possible direction for Jessica. At the same time, I inched myself just a tiny bit closer to the overhang and glanced down. Aside from a thick mass of bushier trees and just the mere top of the rocky slope, I couldn't see hardly anything.

"Holy damn..." I muttered, breathless from both exhaustion and the mental picture of how steep this cliff looked.

"I-I don't get it." Panting hard, Ethan looked back at me anxiously. "This is a dead end. Where in the world is Jessie?"

"I'm trying to figure that out!" I remarked, only raising my voice in order to be heard over the gnarly wind.

Shortly after I said that, I could've sworn that I picked up the sound of something rustling from below us. A mixture of confusion, fear, and concern hit me almost instantly, as if I'd just taken a heavy drug.

"Jesus ... shit! Shit!" I whispered, right before I practically shoved the lantern into Ethan's hands. "Here, hold this!"

"Right..." Voodoo Boy murmured, still catching his breath a little.

I unslung the rifle from around my shoulder and got down on one knee, cursing up a storm inside my head. Then, as Ethan cautiously knelt down beside me with the bright white light from the lantern beaming against one side of his face, I rose the weapon up and peeked through the shabby scope that was smudged in dirt. It didn't provide the clearest view, but at least I was able to look around at what was at the bottom of the cliff. At first, all I saw were a series of tree branches ... but as I slowly panned to the right, I managed to spot Jessica lying facedown in the snow.

Her jeans and ivory-white undershirt were frayed and caked in a mixture of snow, dirt, and blood splatters. Her hair was also a complete wreck, streaked with mud and tangled with a majority of the strands pulled out of their once cute braids. Plus, her smooth complexion that used to be as delicate as a porcelain doll was completely torn and battered. Bruises and deep cuts covered every inch of her bare skin, inflamed and oozing with thick streams of blood. Lastly, there were her nails. The pastel pink polish was horribly chipped and they were rimmed in even more dirt and blood, no doubt from her trying to grab onto whatever she could in order to escape.

I immediately zoomed in, watching as Jess fearfully looked behind her before she began crawling away frantically. My heart racked in my chest at the speed of lightning as complete terror pooled up in my pale brown eyes.

"JESS!" I wailed, shortly before she got snatched by one of her legs and started to get dragged again. "NO!"

"ARGH!" Jess shrieked as she clawed at the ground, failing to grab on to anything. "NO! MICHAAEELLLL! ETHHAANNN! HELP ME! HELP ME!"

Completely horrified by my girlfriend's echoing screams, Ethan hollered out, "JESSICCAAAA!"

At that moment, it occurred to me that this was my chance to catch a glimpse of the kidnapper. Unfortunately, when I aimed the scope towards my girlfriend's feet, I saw that I was too late. Whoever the attacker was, they managed to disappear beneath the treetops before I could see them.

An F-bomb loudly slipped out of my mouth as I hastily shot back up onto my feet. Ethan jumped back as well and looked at me with wide eyes, alarmed by my reaction.

"What did you see? What happened to Jess?" He inquired quickly.

I looked at him, squinting from the brightness of the lantern. "That son of a bitch grabbed her again!" I barked in a tone that was both angry and frightened. "I swear on all that's holy, I'm going to shoot this guy's nut sack off for what he's done to her! She's practically crippled now!"

Ethan clenched his eyes shut, fighting back some tears as he choked out a small sob. "Oh no ... oh God..." He whimpered as he placed his unoccupied hand over his mouth and took down a quick gulp, stopping himself from bawling. "We - we need to get down from here to follow them! Right away!"

"We're going, we're going!" I bellowed, in which I briskly walked past the younger teen and peeked over the edge of the cliff to get a closer look at the ground below us. It was a _long_ way down, but I noticed that to the right of us, there were a series of protruding stones and ledges that Voodoo Boy and I could use as stairs in order to shuffle all the way down to the bottom of the cliff. Of course, we were in the middle of a _very_ urgent situation and we had no choice but to hurry if we wanted to save Jess ... but jumping down could've resulted in me and Ethan breaking bones or falling unconscious from slamming our heads against the rocks and/or trees. Surely, climbing down was the smarter choice.

* * *

 _ **X Go Around/Jump Down X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Go Around**_

* * *

I spun myself back around to look at Ethan, seeing that he was now standing in the spot that I had stationed myself at while scoping out for Jess. He was also glancing over the edge and anxiously biting down on his thumbnail as he took in how far the ground was from us. At the same time, he tightened his grip on the lantern to the point where his hand was trembling and his knuckles looked like they were seconds away from popping.

With no hesitation, I grabbed his shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. Ethan immediately removed his thumb from his mouth and focused his panicked eyes on me, not seeming to notice the drops of lake water that were trickling down his face. Almost all of them were just barely tinted with the colors blue, magenta, and orange from his wacky highlights. Which, by the way, were still visible in his hair.

"Okay, Ethan, listen to me!" I ordered, this time raising my voice in order to prevent him from zoning out due to his terror. "We're going to climb down this damn thing by using the ledges, alright?"

The look on Ethan's face made it seem like I had just told him that we were going to engage in a killing spree. "What?!" He blurted out, clearly in disbelief.

I took a hold of his wrist and began to pull him towards the right side of the cliff. "Come on, move it! It's no different than stepping down a ladder." I assured quickly and lamely, not putting in any actual effort to comfort the younger teen since I was caught up in worrying about my girlfriend.

"Mike!" Ethan exclaimed as he reluctantly, yet forcefully pulled himself away from me. "There's no time for _climbing!_ We're going to have to _jump!_ "

Secretly, I was a little stunned to hear him go against my instructions. Ethan practically worshiped the ground I walked on and was _incredibly_ naive, meaning he followed orders from pretty much anyone without any hesitation. Not only that, but for as long as I could remember, he's always had a _huge_ phobia of heights and I never imagined _him_ of all people telling _me_ that we were gonna have to _jump down a freaking cliff!_ Still, none of my shock was visible. Instead, I almost felt like whacking the nature-obsessed teen upside the head for suggesting such a dumb thing.

I scoffed. "Are - are you crazy?! If we jump, we could break something! We could knock our heads against the rocks and get knocked out! Or worse!"

Ethan bit down on his bottom lip and peered down the cliff again, looking as if he was trying to figure out a way to explain to a child that their beloved gerbil had passed away. Then, he swallowed heavily and locked his nervous gaze on me again.

"This is for Jess, man ... this is for Jess!"

I was just about to open my mouth to say something back ... but before I could, Ethan did something that I _definitely_ didn't see coming. He grabbed me by my wrist and yelled out "GERONIMO!" as he threw both of us over the snowy overhang. Gravity immediately took action and our hands tore away from each other as we plummeted down the cliff, Ethan falling just inches below me.

"Holy SHIIIT!" I swore at the beginning of the fall, unable to pull back and regain my footing in time.

"WHOAAA!" Voodoo Boy screamed at the exact same time, still holding on tight to the lantern as his wet poncho flapped wildly like a cape. "CRRAPPP!"

I cringed at the unpleasant feeling of my back rapidly skimming over the wall of jagged rocks. The back of my biceps stung every few seconds, no doubt in the process of receiving mild scratches. At the same time, a mixture of snow, dirt, and small pellets of ice kicked up and flew back, smacking me and possibly Ethan in our faces.

"OUCH!" Ethan shrieked as we then slid over a large stone that was further out than a majority of the others. It sent us through the air momentarily, and then our backs roughly struck against the wall again as we continued to slide down the incline.

"UGH!" I shouted, feeling the air forcefully shoot of my lungs during our split second of being airborne.

Just a moment later, the realization struck me and the chocolate-haired lad that the cliff was a hell of a lot steeper than the two of us had previously assumed. Our speed was increasing with every passing second and the wind screeched in our ears as the sight of the hard ground began coming into view. If we struck it at the speed that we were going, it was obvious that the two of us were going to need an ambulance as soon as possible.

Ethan's eyes bulged in horror as he pressed his unoccupied hand against the rocks and tried to slow himself down. "OH, DAMN! OH, DAMN! OH, DAMN! OH, DAMN!" He panicked as our dangerous ride pursued.

"SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!" I cursed at the exact same time, terrified at the thought of us being goners and letting Jess down.

Suddenly, something broke through the hazy clouds of swirling snow. I noticed that it was a tree branch that was protruding from the middle of the rocky wall. Ethan must've seen it as well, because he attempted to snatch a hold of it with the hand that wasn't gripping the lantern. Unfortunately, he missed by a mile; but I managed to reach up and grab the branch with just a split second to spare, dropping the rifle in the process.

"URGH!" I grunted as I ensured that I had a good grip on the branch.

At the same time, Voodoo Boy let go of the lantern and latched on to my left leg like a little kid that didn't want to say goodbye to their mom or dad on their first day of school. We were both breathing like we had just ran a marathon and our clothes were starting to look a little beat up from the muck and snow. By this point, my heart was pumping to the point where it literally felt like I had just finished drinking a dozen Red Bulls and I needed a moment to recover from the adrenaline that was flooding through my veins.

Ethan slowly tilted his head up to look at me, his hazel eyes still huge. "Good ... good catch there, Mike." He said between breaths.

I returned his gaze sullenly, mentally scorning him for flinging us over the ledge like that. "Thanks..." I grumbled, nowhere near convincing. "Now, let go of me and drop down so I can let go of this thing."

With a small and bashful nod, the fifteen-year-old looked down at the ground and untangled himself from my leg. However, as he fell the rest of the way down, he somehow ended up landing on his hands and knees instead of his feet. Shortly after this happened, I released the branch and perfectly struck the ground beside him, ignoring the discomfort that was still shooting through my back.

"Ah, dammit!" Ethan swore as he slowly pushed himself up onto his knees and looked at his hands, only to notice that the one that he had pressed against the rocks during the fall was now covered in small scratches. "Well ... that definitely could've ended better..."

With a small groan, the younger teen then shook his head and helped himself up from the ground a little dizzily. As he did this, I quickly looked around for the electric lantern and rifle, spinning myself in circles a couple of times. Luckily, the two items had landed in spots that weren't far from each other and they didn't show any signs of damage.

" _Ah-ha! Thank God!_ " I internally exclaimed as I hastily swiped the lantern up in one hand and tossed the rifle back over my shoulder with the other.

"What the..." Ethan murmured with a wince, suddenly sounding confused ... until a few seconds later, in which he then sounded alarmed. "Oh, crap!"

With no hesitation, I snapped my attention back over in his direction and held the lantern out to get a better look at him, considering the moonlight wasn't as strong down here as it was at the top of the cliff. That's when I saw the thing that had stunned Voodoo Boy. His dark blue jeans now had a hole torn clear through the fabric on his left leg, revealing a lightly bleeding cut that reached all the way from the top of his ankle to the middle of his shin. It wasn't in need of serious medical care or anything like that, but it still looked pretty damn painful; and there was no doubt in my mind that he had received it from one of the rocks during the jump.

"See what happens when you don't listen to me, Ethan?!" I criticized with a bitter stare. " _This_ is what happens when you do dumb shit like _jumping off freaking cliffs!_ "

Ethan wiped some specks of dirt away from his face with his poncho as he returned my gaze, looking completely humiliated. "I'm sorry, Mike. I know it was dumb of me to throw the two of us over the ledge like that ... but climbing down all of the rocks would've taken so much more time and Jessica needs us." Just like that, at the mention of my beige-blonde babe, Ethan's eyes grew and he forgot all about his injury as his anxiety returned. "Look, it's just a cut, I'm fine! We need to keep going! Right now!"

As soon as those words left his mouth, the horrifying pictures of Jess getting the last of her clothes ripped off and raped, as well as beaten even more by her attacker, filled my brain again. That was all it took for my glare to morph back into my hectic look, and I immediately gestured for Voodoo Boy to follow me.

"Come on, come on!" I proclaimed, right before I started bolting in the direction in which I'd witnessed Jess get taken.

Ethan didn't think twice before listening, squinting to help him see through the dimness of the evening as we ran alongside each other. We continued to fight against the wind and snow as it blew directly at us, numbing our faces. They were already bright red due to how long we'd been outside, and a piece of me could've sworn that my ears were seconds away from falling off due to how they felt so damn cold.

Just then, without any warning, I saw a large fallen tree come into view. It reached all the way from one side of the cliff to the rocky slope of the opposing cliff, positioned lopsidedly with a narrow slant of space provided beneath it.

"Dunk!" I exclaimed with a slight jolt of panic in my voice.

"WHAT?" Ethan called back, trying to hear me over the roaring breeze.

I yelled at the top of my lungs this time, "DUNK!"

With just seconds to spare, the younger teen's eyes widened, giving it away that he'd seen the demolished tree through the gusts of snow.

"Oh, shoot!" Ethan gasped, just as the two of us managed to dunk underneath the obstacle just in time. "JUMP!"

Confusion flickered through my pale brown orbs, until I looked down at the ground and noticed that there was an upcoming log lying in our path. A startled F-bomb escaped from my mouth, but the nature-obsessed and I both successfully leaped over the log. We were breathing harder than ever before, keeping our eyes locked directly in front of us as _another_ fallen tree appeared up ahead. The space underneath this one was _much_ more narrow, but it wouldn't be impossible to dodge.

"DUNK AGAIN!" I called out, clenching my eyes shut for a moment to help clear some snowflakes from my vision.

I dunked in time, but Ethan did something else. He actually _jumped_ and _climbed_ over the tree like a hurdle, landing perfectly at my side within seconds. That was quite impressive coming from him, but this accomplishment didn't last long. A fourth obstacle - another log - came at us immediately after we handled the tree. I managed to jump on top of it ... but then, I ended up getting tackled to the ground when Ethan didn't see the log in time. His foot hit against it and he tumbled forward with a grunt, bringing me down with him.

I groaned, practically feeling bruises already beginning to form on every inch of my upper body. "Oh, screw you..." I sneered at the younger teen as I quickly scrambled back up onto my feet.

"Sorry!" Voodoo Boy apologized for the millionth time, grimacing as he also hurried back up.

Ignoring him, I turned back to the trail and prepared myself to take off running again. However, I ended up jerking to a stop directly on my tiptoes when it came to my realization that Ethan and I had arrived at _another_ obstacle. There was nothing but large rocks surrounding us now, providing only two ways to get over to where the path continued. There were two, medium-sized rocks attached to the cliffside that could be reached through jumping and a slim ledge on the opposite cliffside that someone could shimmy across ... but they were both positioned directly above a bottomless pit.

I waved the lantern around and grumbled under my breath in disbelief, "Come on..."

Ethan stared down at the dark abyss with large eyes and took down a frightened gulp. "Oh my aura ... that looks like a _long_ way down..." He whimpered, tearing his glance away from the pit in order to look at me. " _How_ are we going to get across this thing?"

I chewed on my bottom lip, flicking my attention back and forth from the ledge to the two rocks. It was obvious that there was no "safe" way to get across this pit that, for all I knew, could've been full of dozens of more spiky rocks ... but one of these ways were definitely much faster than the other one.

* * *

 _ **X Jump/Shimmy X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Jump**_

* * *

" _My God, this is definitely **not** the way I pictured how this night would go. I'm swear, I'm gonna kill this bastard for abducting Jess and ruining our plans._" I thought to myself, right before I made eye contact with the nature-obsessed teen and explained quickly. "Okay, you see those two rocks there? They're not that far apart from each other. We can jump across them in order to make it over to the other side."

In the blink of an eye, all of the color rushed out of Ethan's skin. "W-what?!" He blurted out, taking a tiny step back and motioning with his hands vigorously. "Mike, there's _no way_ I can jump across those rocks!"

"Oh, so _now_ you don't want to jump?!" I demanded hotly, despite the teeny amount of shock that was glowing in my eyes.

Catching what I meant, the younger teen flashed a nervous pout and exclaimed, "T-that was different! At least we were able to see the ground that time!"

"Oh, for the love of..." Instead of finishing that sentence, I rolled my eyes and let out an irritated groan, knowing that we didn't have time to just stand around and talk about this. "Alright, fine! _I'll_ jump across the rocks while _you_ use that ledge there to shimmy over to the other side! Just stick close to the wall and whatever you do, _do not look down!_ Got it?"

"Yeah ... yeah." Voodoo Boy answered with a couple of small nods. After that, he approached the skinny ledge and quietly let out a shaky breath as he stepped out onto it. "Come on, Ethan. Keep in mind you're doing this for Jess. Just _carefully_ move your feet and listen to what Mike said. Don't look down, don't look down ... just look up ... look up."

While whispering all of that to himself, the fifteen-year-old practically pinned his entire body against the rocks that were behind him and kept his gaze locked on the sky like an anxious puppet on strings. He shimmied along slowly, looking a little lightheaded as he took down a heavy gulp in order to help him clear a lump from his throat. With every step he took, a knot in the pit of my stomach grew tighter from the paranoia that he was going to trip and plummet into the dark abyss. That's why I decided to watch his every move and wait until he got halfway across to the other side. When he did, I decided that it was my time to take action.

"Okay..." I muttered under my breath as I took a few steps back and stared at the first rock, preparing myself. "You can do this, Mikey boy. You just jumped off a freakin' cliff. This will be child's play compared to that."

I sucked in a breath and charged forward, leaping through the air. Much to my relief, I successfully made it over the first gap and landed perfectly on the snowy rock with a faint grunt. Then, I instantly hopped across the second and last gap ... but this time, my jump wasn't good enough. I ended up missing the rock by just an inch and my heart felt like it dropped all the way down to my toes as I quickly grabbed the rock by its edge with my available arm in order to avoid falling to my doom.

"OH!" I hollered, looking down at the bottomless pit beneath me with huge eyes. "SHIT! ... Shit, wrong move!"

"MIKE!" Ethan yelled with his voice drenched in worry.

I let out a strained grunt and ran my shoes against the slippery lower stone, trying with as much strength as possible to pull myself up with just one arm. Unfortunately, considering the stress of the situation, it was much easier said than done.

"Oh my God! Mike!" Ethan exclaimed as he made it safely to the other side. "Don't let go!"

"Why on earth would I let go?!" I demanded, grinding my teeth as I fought against the unpleasant feeling of the rough edge digging into my ribs and tried even harder to pull myself up. "Don't just stand there! ... Keep going, keep going! Follow the trail!"

However, instead of going on without me like I ordered him to, the nature-obsessed teen hurried over to the ledge, dropped down to his knees, and grabbed a hold of my arm. Then, as another grunt escaped from my mouth, I finally managed to plant the sole of my boot against a protruding stone from below and Ethan assisted in hauling me back up on top of the surface. We both shot back up onto our feet afterwards, showing no signs of caring about the new blotches of snow that were caked across our clothes.

"You idiot!" I heaved, still in the process of catching my breath as I pierced the younger teen with a small glare. "I told you to keep moving! I would've made it up on my own just fine! Need I remind you that we need to get to Jess?!"

Voodoo Boy looked at me, both stunned and hurt by my outburst. "I-I'm sorry! I just ... I-I just couldn't leave you hanging there!" He retorted insecurely.

I might've sounded like a stubborn asshole at that moment, but I didn't care. Out of all the times Ethan actually allowed himself to be a pushover, he was choosing _now_ to go against what I was telling him. I'm not saying that I thought of the fifteen-year-old as a servant or anything like that, because I sure as hell didn't. I just expected that he would know that Jess was in a _far more_ dangerous situation at the moment, and he wouldn't hesitate to keep going after her instead of stopping to pull me up from a rock. Don't get me wrong, a piece of me was grateful for what he did ... but, due to our predicament, it was _very_ tiny.

"Let's just keep going!" I instructed, in which Ethan quickly nodded and the two of us continued to follow the steepened path as fast as our legs could carry us.

Up head, the trees were starting to clear up and the moonlight, which had been mostly blocked out from the series of branches and leaves, was shining brighter than an activated lighthouse. It caused me to squint slightly, but I still waved the lantern back and forth across the ground in order to prevent Ethan and myself from stumbling over anymore twigs, logs, or roots. Then, when we made it to the top of the incline, we both froze in our tracks at what we saw. Right before us, an entire mining facility was built. I didn't have the tiniest clue as to how old it was, but judging by how some of the buildings were lopsided and all of the wood was rotten, it was safe to assume that the facility had been abandoned for many, _many_ years.

By this point, my heart was beating so madly to the point where almost all of my veins felt hot. Not only that, but every time I drew in a breath, a sharp jabbing sensation shot through my chest. My legs almost felt like jelly from running all over the place and my muscles were sore, begging me to take a break ... but hell was going to have to freeze over before I allowed myself to hold off on saving my girlfriend.

Ethan was just as exhausted as I was, leaning over with his hands resting on his knees. He was panting like a dog that'd been walking in the desert without water for weeks; but he forced himself to straighten back up in order to stare in disbelief at the mining facility with me.

The frayed strip in the snow that had been left behind from Jess being dragged away was still here. It curved to the left, following the trail before disappearing into one of the rundown buildings. Then, it reappeared in the slush at the way bottom of the slope, accompanied by some more streaks of blood and ferocious marks that almost looked like they were caused by ... the claws of an _animal._ The sight of those marks made my heart feel like it locked up in my chest. Whoever this kidnapper was, they were _a lot_ more vicious than I'd thought.

"No ... no, no, no..." I whispered to myself, terrified by the amount of blood that I saw.

Luckily, Ethan didn't seem to notice it. If he had, I was almost one hundred percent positive that he would've fainted. Instead, he was looking down the towering slope that was directly in front of us with his damp hair and poncho still flowing in the wind.

"They're somewhere down there." Ethan noted, still panting a little.

* * *

 _ **X Follow Path/Risk Slide Down X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Follow Path**_

* * *

Much to my dismay, this place definitely looked like the type of destination in which a rape and/or murder would take place in. So, I quickly turned to the fifteen-year-old to tell him the plan on how all of this was going to go down. Considering how crippled Jess looked when I scoped her out back on top of the cliff, I wanted Ethan to go grab her and get her as far away from the facility as possible while I handled the attacker. I wanted to pop so many bullets in them to the point where their grandchildren would taste metal. My mom was an intelligent lawyer, so if I somehow got in trouble for committing self-defense, I knew that she would be able to get me out of it.

Jess was going to be okay ... she _had_ to be okay...

"Alright, here's the plan!" I proclaimed, speaking fast. "We're going to keep following the- OH MY GOD! ETHAN!"

When the nature-obsessed teen had urgently turned to look at me and listen, one of his feet ended up slipping in the slush and falling out from underneath him. As a result of this, a horrified scream lunged out of Ethan's throat and he began toppling down the slope like a tumbleweed at a rapid speed. I had attempted to snatch a hold of his arm and pull him back, but it was too late. All I could do was watch with wide, alarmed eyes as Ethan continued to scream the whole way down. He tried grabbing a branch as he slid past it, but he missed and roughly tumbled into some rocks. He was now on his back, looking like a turtle that couldn't get up from its shell, and it felt like his fearful eyes met mine for the briefest second before he fell through an opening at the bottom of the slope. He disappeared from sight and a loud _THUD_ filled the air just a moment later.

"ETHAN! ... Oh my God, oh my God ... ETTHNANNN!" I called out, now nervous for the younger teen. "CAN YOU HEAR ME?! ... ETHAN!"

There was no response, causing me to drop a loud F-bomb.

"HANG ON, I'M COMING!" I then yelled, honestly finding it hard to believe that I was _really_ about to do something as risky as this.

Nonetheless, with my body being controlled by my worry, I raced forward and tried to see if I could run down the _very_ steep hill. However, it didn't take long before my shoes slipped on some ice, and I became a victim of gravity.

"Oh, shit..." I gasped as I started hurling down the slope like a sled, possibly to my doom. "NO NO DAMMIT NOOOO!"

The snow tormented my naked arms, making them almost feel numb as I quickly shot one of them up and caught a hold of the branch that Ethan had made an attempt to grab. However, my fingers ended up slipping away from it and I started hurtling towards the opening in which Ethan had slid through. Thinking fast, with every curse word in existence flinging back and forth through my brain, I firmly grabbed the edge before I could plummet below and winced as the tips of my fingers racked against a tarnished iron fence. Also, I had (unfortunately) dropped the lantern in the process.

Breathing hard again, I dared myself to look down. I saw Voodoo Boy lying flat on his back against a hard surface that was constructed out of dirty wooden boards. His eyes were also closed, and for a moment, I really did begin to think that he had been knocked unconscious from the fall. Another realization that I had was that he had received _another_ cut. Luckily, it didn't look serious ... but like the one on his leg, it still looked sore. It was etched horizontally across his right cheekbone, leaking with blood that took its time to drip down his face.

"Ethan!" I called down to him, still hanging on to the ledge. "Ethan, are you okay?!"

At first, there was no reply; but then, with a pained moan, the nature-obsessed teen cracked his hazel eyes open and slowly began to help himself up from the ground.

"Ugh ... holy Mother Nature, that hurt like hell..." He grumbled, cringing a little as he rubbed his lower back and looked up at me. "Don't worry, I'm fine! I just had the wind knocked out of me pretty hard ... but I'll live."

Feeling slightly relieved, I exhaled. "Holy crap, dude! You scared the bejesus out of me!"

"Yeah? That makes two of us!" Ethan remarked. He wiped some beads of sweat and specks of snow away from his brow and looked down at himself, crinkling his nose at all of the muck that was now rubbed deeply into the fabric of his jeans and poncho. "Oh my aura. One who respects Mother Earth should _never_ be messy like this ... I'm going to need one heck of a shower when we're finished here..."

I rolled of my eyes, despite how a piece of me was thinking the same thing about the desire to take a shower. Then, after making sure that Ethan was no longer standing directly beneath me, I let go off the edge and landed perfectly on my feet. After that, with no hesitation, the two of us approached the ledge of the damaged floor and looked down, confirming that we could drop down to solid ground.

"Come on ... come on ... let's go, Mikey boy!" I said, trying to pump myself up as I knelt down, grabbed the rundown boards with a solid grip, and cautiously swung my body over the edge.

"Be careful!" Ethan cautioned, watching me closely.

I lowered myself as far as I could and ignored the slight strain that was in my arms as I dropped down. Once again, I managed to land perfectly on my feet and immediately saw the bright white glow of the electric lantern sitting on the ground directly in front of me. I didn't think twice before snatching it back up, silently thanking God for there being no damage to it. After that, I glanced up and watched Voodoo Boy as he lowered himself like I did and dropped down from the upper level. He landed right beside me in a squatting position, as if he was a ninja. Then, as he rose back up, I noticed him clench his teeth in discomfort and look down at the cut on his leg.

"You good?" I asked him.

The nature-obsessed teen returned my gaze, not seeming to care about the blood that was dripping down from the new scratch on his face. "Yeah, I'm good." He replied, nodding.

Shortly after that, the air was punctured by the sound of the nearby screams of my beige-blonde babe. With no hesitation, Ethan and I snapped our heads in the direction in which her shrieking was coming from. The anxiety instantly returned to our faces and I quickly held the lantern out in front of us to illuminate our way again.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit!" Ethan cursed repeatedly, just as a string of panicked F-bombs slipped out of my mouth.

The two of us darted out of the old building that we were in and followed Jessica's shrieking, trying to tune out the sounds of the monstrous wind and the snow crunching beneath our feet along the way.

"OH NO! MICHAEL! ETHAN!" Jess wailed with so much terror in her voice that a new word just _had_ to be invented to describe it.

I could feel calluses starting to form on my feet as the chocolate-haired lad and I raced through a couple of archways and began to follow a demolished mining track.

"JESSICA!" I hollered loud enough for it to be carried for miles through the wind.

"JESSIE!" Ethan yelled immediately after.

Jess screamed a couple of more times, sounding like she was trying to fight her kidnapper off. "HELP ME!" She pleaded.

"Oh God! Oh my God! Mike!" Voodoo Boy exclaimed as he jerked to a halt and pointed in the direction of another neglected building.

For the briefest second, I froze in my tracks and followed his gaze. That's when I saw Jess clawing at the ground with tears pouring down her face as she was dragged through the door.

"Oh, shit!" I swore nervously, in which Ethan and I started hightailing over to the large building.

After Jessica was hauled inside, the rotted door was slammed shut with a loud and squeaky _BANG._

" _Don't worry, Jess. We're here. We're coming for you. Just hold on. Hold on for me, princess._ " As those words rolled into my brain at a rapid speed, I grabbed the door, immediately pulled it open, and watched Ethan hurry inside before I followed him.

The door slammed shut on its own behind us.

* * *

 **UPDATE**

 **Mike's Character Traits: Brave +1 (8/10)**

 **Ethan's Character Traits: Brave +2 (4/10)**

* * *

"...JESS!" I called out, stunned to see that neither she or the abductor were anywhere in sight.

The fifteen-year-old was evidently just as caught off guard as I was, practically spinning himself in circles in order to examine every inch of the creepy building.

"Where the heck did they go?!" Ethan inquired. "They _just_ came in here!"

I drew in deep breaths, trying to calm myself down as I stared at a gaping hole that was torn through the other wall. "This is insane!" I huffed, almost having a mini heart attack from spotting a tattered tarp flapping in the breeze from the corner of my eye.

"ARGH! NO!" The sound of Jessica's voice erupted through the air again, coming from somewhere close by. "ETHHAANNNN! MICHAAEELLLL! HELP ME! HELP ME!"

Voodoo Boy and I quickly exchanged frantic glances, right before we rushed over to a dusty railing and peered down, realizing that there was another floor built below us.

"That creep took her somewhere down there!" Ethan noted in a startled tone.

I leaned myself a little over the railing, making sure that I wasn't putting too much weight on it in order to prevent the wood from breaking. "JESSICA, WE'RE COMING!" I hollered out, strongly hoping that my voice would reach her. "WE'RE COMING!"

Evidently freaked out, Ethan ran one of his hands through his soaked hair and asked, "How the hell did they get down there so fast?"

"I don't know, but we don't have time to just stand here and wonder about that!" I replied as I began to trot over to a rickety staircase that was on the other side of the vacant room. "Come on! Hurry, Ethan, hurry!"

"Right behind you!" Voodoo Boy declared, nearly stepping on my heels as he quickly pursued after me.

I noticed a dirty sign on the wall that had the word _Elevator_ printed on it in faded letters. There was also an arrow pointing in the direction of the staircase, which helped lessen my suspicion on where these stairs led. Although, even if I _hadn't_ known where they led, that wouldn't have stopped me from going down them. Every single stair creaked as Ethan and I descended down them with Ethan running his hand along the dusty railing to ensure that he wouldn't trip. I, on the other hand, was too caught up in listening to my girlfriend's horrified shrieks to even think about holding the railing.

When the chocolate-haired lad and I reached the bottom, the ground transferred over from aging planks to earthy stone and the first thing that caught my attention was a gaping entrance to the mines. A damaged, lopsided sign that read " _Unsafe. Keep Out._ " suspended above it, but it was clear that Jess's screams were coming from somewhere in there.

I hurried over to the creepy entrance and froze, staring deeply into the tunnel. "JESSICA!" I yelled into it.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a response that time and I automatically feared that the attacker had knocked her out ... or worse. What made this situation even _more_ horrible was the fact that there such things as sickos who actually had a fetish for having sex with dead bodies ... but I sure as hell wasn't going to stand by and let Jess get abused. This bastard was _not_ going to get away with this!

"Huh? ... What the...?" I heard Ethan suddenly starting to whisper to himself. "What do we have here?"

I spun around on my heels and saw him crouched down on the ground, examining something with his back facing me.

"Ethan, what the hell are you doing?!" I demanded with some confusion slipping across my tongue.

The nature-obsessed teen glanced over his shoulder to look at me as he replied with, "I found something." Then, as he rose back up and turned around to reveal the item that he was holding, I could've sworn that some air got stuck in my throat. Once again, _another_ one of those freaky little wooden artifacts had popped up. This one didn't seem to take the shape of an animal, but it still made my spine feel like it was being pricked. The wood was horribly washed out with a couple of dirt smudges here and there ... and I could make out the familiar shape of a butterfly that perfectly matched the one I had seen in the _Native American_ _Myths & Legends_ book that was back in the guest cabin.

" _Holy Mother of God ... not **another** one of those damn things..._" I internally groaned.

After confirming that I had seen his discovery, Ethan looked back down at the statue and ran his thumb along some of the dull yellow paint that highlighted the edges of all of the details.

* * *

 _ **Totem Found: Guidance Totem**_

 _ **Information: Foretells a scene in which Mike is gently petting a wolf with Ethan by his side. What looks like blood is smeared across Ethan's hands.**_

* * *

"I wonder why something as unique as this is just lying down here." Ethan commented, sounding almost in awe as he squinted at the creepy tiki. "Whoever crafted this was definitely blessed with a gift. Such carving abilities aren't so easy to possess. It's such an interesting piece of work ... but it's too bad that it was abandoned with the rest of this facility."

I blinked, fighting the urge to storm over to him and thump him upside the head with the lantern. "Ethan, do me a favor, would you?" I growled in a degrading tone. "Forget about the damn tiki, put it down, and actually _focus_ on the predicament that we are in!"

Almost immediately after I said that, the echoing sound of Jessica's screams erupted through the caves again and it was like Voodoo Boy had snapped out of a trance. He didn't think twice before dropping - literally dropping - the artifact back down to the ground and hurrying over to my side.

"JESSIE, WE'RE HERE!" He shouted into the tunnel with fear swarming through his hazel orbs again. "HANG ON! WE'RE COMING TO GET YOU!"

As soon as those words left his mouth, the two of us started fast-walking through the spooky cave. We passed by dozens of damaged barriers and rusty tin containers that were piled up in messy corners, being egged on by the sound of Jess sounding like she was still trying to fight off her abductor.

"JESSICA!" I called out, starting to feel paranoid that somebody was watching me and the nature-obsessed teen from the shadows.

My girlfriend hollered back through scared sobs, "HELP ME!"

"WE'RE COMING, JESS!" Ethan yelled with his voice drenched in worry.

Suddenly, as we kept walking with our shoes lightly clicking against the stone floor ... there was this strange noise. It sounded like a strained shriek, coming from somewhere in the distance. For a brief moment, Ethan and I came to a sharp halt with the younger teen letting out a tiny, startled yelp. We cautiously glanced around the dimly lit tunnel, failing to spot anyone or anything.

"Uhh ... what was that?" Ethan inquired, uneasily fiddling around with his fingernails. "Was it ... I don't know ... maybe a bat?"

"Yeah ... yeah, I'm sure that's all it was." I replied, despite how I, for some reason, felt a sliver of doubt inside of me. "This is their territory, after all. Let's just keep moving. They'll leave us alone as long as we leave them alone."

With a faint nod, Voodoo Boy stopped messing around with his nails and quickly pursued down the tunnel with me. Our feet lightly splashed through a couple of small puddles as we stumbled upon a rundown mining track and began to follow it.

"Oh no!" Jess squealed, her voice getting closer. "Michael! Ethan!"

"...JESS!" Ethan and I called back simultaneously.

Just then, as we made it to the end of the tunnel and entered a wider section of the cave, I detected the same girly song that had been playing on my girlfriend's phone when she got snatched out the window. Then, as the fifteen-year-old and I started to cautiously approach the large, rusty elevator ... I saw something that made every single nerve in my body grow numb. There, sprawled across the dirty grid like a battered rag doll, was my beige-blonde babe with her cracked cell phone peeking out from one of the pockets of her jeans.

At the sight of her, Ethan's eyes shot bigger than I'd ever seen them and all of the color rushed out of his skin like he'd just seen a ghost. He shot his hand up to his face and placed it over his mouth in complete shock, clearly battling the urge to scream. As this happened, a couple of tears began to weld up in the corners of his eyes and his body started to tremble all over again.

Up close, Jessica's injuries looked _much_ more serious and sickening. Her porcelain-white skin was practically gone to the naked eye, as it was now completely riddled with mud, swollen bumps, bleeding wounds, and a mixture of black, blue, and purple blotches. Her clothes were also in rags and I noticed something that made my knees buckle. Across my girlfriend's chest, inflamed lacerations were torn through her skin ... and not only did they look just like the marks that I'd seen in the snow outside, but the deer that had been yanked into the shadows back in the woods had _very_ similar injuries across its neck.

"Holy crap!" Ethan choked out through a small cry as he looked at Jessica's lifeless body. "H-holy crap! ... Please, God, no!"

* * *

 _ **..BUTTERFLY EFFECT UPDATE..**_

 _ **(To the Rescue) -** **Mike and Ethan successfully chased after Jessica...**_

* * *

"NO!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, not caring about how much it made my throat ache. "OH GOD!"

Aghast, I shakily sat the lantern down and got down on one knee beside my girlfriend. "Noo ... Jessica..." I whimpered, at which I placed my hand against her stomach and gave her a small nudge.

"Jess, _please_ wake up!" Voodoo Boy begged as a few tears started to fall from his eyes, colliding with the drops of blood that were still trickling from the gash on his cheek. " _Please,_ Jessica ... come on, you _have_ to wake up... _"_

It literally felt like somebody had popped my chest open, reached into it, and tore my heart right out. With every second that ticked by with Jess showing no signs of life, the more my stomach hurt. I could've sworn that my eyes were even starting to grow a little wet, but I was still clinging on to the hope that she was still in there somewhere.

Ethan gently placed his other hand on my shoulder and gave it a small squeeze, as if that would somehow console me. Then, I felt a wave of _major_ relief course through my body when I saw Jessica's bright green eyes, which were horribly red-rimmed and puffy from crying, flutter open. With a raspy breath, she stared up at me and Ethan, no doubt having some blurry clouds in her vision. The younger teen immediately let out a gasp, while I quickly placed the rifle aside with my mouth gaping open.

"Oh God!" I exclaimed a little breathlessly. "Jess! Jess! Are you okay!?"

"Talk to us, Jessie!" Ethan pleaded as he leaned over my girlfriend a little, still standing at my side. "Tell me and Mike what you need! What do you want us to do!?"

Still breathing achingly, Jessica attempted to push herself up. However, she ended up flopping back on her back like a fish, unable to move from the amount of pain that she was in.

"...Help..." She then replied to Ethan's question, sounding incredibly weak as she flicked her gaze one final time between him and me.

After that, her eyes closed again and her head fell back against the cold steel that was beneath her. Her entire body went limp, giving it away that she had fallen unconscious.

"Oh my aura..." Ethan whimpered. "She's hurt _really_ bad, man."

"I know." I said, sounding just as worried as he did. "Come on, let's get her the hell out of here. We need to bandage these wounds before they get infected."

"Right."

The younger teen looked down at Jessica's legs and sucked in a sharp breath. Her jeans were soaked in blood and even more lacerations that matched the ones across her chest were visible through the new gaping rips in the fabric. Still, as horrible at the sight was, it didn't stop Voodoo Boy from carefully reaching one of his hands out to grab my girlfriend. At the same time, I began to extend both of my arms out to wrap one around her waist and support her head with the other ... but before Ethan and I could grab her, a piercing _BANG_ erupted through the air and the elevator began to sink.

Stunned gasps lurched out of mine and Ethan's throats as we jumped back, witnessing sparks fly off from the rusty chains as they dropped the elevator at the speed of lightning. The entire cave shook, causing a couple of large rocks and small parts of other grids from above to fall down to the ground. Ethan fought to keep his balance and tossed his arms up, blocking his head like we were in the middle of a junior high tornado drill. Luckily, he managed to not get hit by any of the falling objects ... but my attention was entirely on Jess as the elevator roughly fell into the deep heart of the mines, taking her and the electric lantern with it.

"JESSICAAAAA!" I wailed, no longer able to see her as I peered down the dark shaft.

My voice echoed all the way down to wherever the elevator had fallen, but it was still drowned out by the sound of what was most definitely a fatal cave-in. Just like that, I felt like I'd just been pierced with the sharpest knife in all of existence ... and it was taking its time to torture me, slowly dragging beneath my flesh and making the devastation inside of me almost unbearable as it tore me apart. After going through so damn much to get to Jess, Ethan and I couldn't manage to save her. She was gone ... literally _gone_ forever.

I clenched my watery eyes shut, forcing the tears to dry up since the last thing I needed right now was to cry in front of Ethan. I then gritted my teeth, feeling rage starting to spread inside of me like a wildfire. This whole catastrophe was caused by that son of a bitch who kidnapped Jess in the first place. All because of them, she was freaking _dead!_ I might've failed to save her ... and that hurt like hell ... but that didn't mean that I wasn't going to avenge her.

" _I swear, Jess ... with God as my witness, I **will** make this bastard pay for what he did to you. He's going to regret the day he was ever born!_ " I had to screw my eyes shut again in order to prevent any leftover tears from falling down my face, fighting the urge to frown as I looked down the elevator shaft one final time. " _You will always be in my heart, Jessica Katherine Riley. I love you so much and I wish I had the chance to tell you that at least one more time. I'm so sorry that Ethan and I weren't fast enough to get to you in time. Just a second sooner and we would've been able to get you off of that damn elevator before it collapsed down to the mines._ " I drew in a quiet, shaky breath and shook my head in a mixture of sorrow and regret. " _I'm going to avenge you, Jess ... no matter what it takes, that asshole **will** get what's coming to him. Rest in peace, sweetheart ... rest in peace._"

By the time I finished my last thought and quickly crossed myself as I leaned back from the bottomless shaft, I noticed something. Ethan hadn't said a word since the elevator dropped ... so, I quickly turned around to look at him. He looked even _paler_ now and he was staring down at his boots in a mixture of devastation and shock, his eyes still appearing too large for his head. He also had his hand placed shakily over his mouth again ... but the other hand, for some reason, was clutching his stomach.

"Ethan?" I said with confusion and concern dripping from my voice. "Are you alright?"

The chocolate-haired lad lifted his head back up, revealing a pale shade of green that was smeared across his cheeks. "I..." He gagged with his hand remaining over his lips. "I think I'm going to be sick..."

And sure enough, just seconds after he said that, he dropped down to his knees, jerked his hand away from his mouth, and tightly screwed his eyes shut. Unable to fight against it, Ethan allowed the contents of his stomach to flow out of his mouth like a murky waterfall.

" _Oh, shit!_ " With a stunned look in my pale brown orbs, I quickly knelt down beside the younger teen and helped by pulling his poncho back with one hand and his bangs back with my other.

As the slimy pieces of what looked like bologna and gummy worms slid through the grid floor that was directly beside the elevator and filled the air with a sour smell, I realized that Ethan was still the type of person who vomited whenever he got _too_ rattled up. Ever since we were kids, he would throw up mostly from intense nightmares and overdone gore scenes from horror films, and I would often be the one by his side as he hovered over the toilet; but as the years went on, his stomach got stronger ... or so I thought. Judging by what was happening right now, it was obvious that Ethan still had poor control of his nausea.

"I-I..." Ethan coughed as another spurt of puke fled out of his mouth, making me grimace. "I c-can't ... I can't believe she's gone..."

"Get your breath back, Ethan." I said with some sorrow trickling through my tone. "Just finish throwing up and get your breath back ... Jess wouldn't want you to feel upset, especially to _this_ extent."

I decided to leave out the tiny piece of information that Jessica probably would've been irritated at how somebody was vomiting so closely to the place where she had died. Considering the state that he was in though, I figured that the nature-obsessed teen didn't need to hear that part.

At last, Ethan finished emptying his stomach and he began to catch his breath. He wiped his lips with the sleeve of his moss-green sweater and cringed every couple of seconds, no doubt from the nasty taste that was now coating his tongue. I slowly withdrew my hands from him and as he started picking himself up from the ground, I stood back up as well.

"Better now?" I asked.

Ethan rubbed his gut and, after a faint pause, opened his mouth to respond ... but he stopped himself and suddenly cranked his head up so he could be looking towards the top of the elevator shaft. Something had grabbed his attention, causing him to wrinkle his brow in confusion ... but after a moment, his eyes widened a little again like a frightened child on Halloween.

"Mike..." He said, stretching out my name in an uneasy tone.

I cocked an eyebrow and followed his gaze, confused. As soon as I did, I saw something that I didn't expect. Courtesy of a few rays of moonlight that were leaking through a couple of busted barriers, I could make out what was definitely the silhouette of a _person._ No distinct features were able to be seen, but whoever they were, they were staring down at me and Ethan from the tippy-top of the elevator shaft.

"Huh?" I murmured, recalling the paranoia that I had felt while previously walking through the tunnel. "What the shit."

"I-is that the kidnapper?" Ethan questioned. "Oh God, what am I saying? It _has_ to be. Who else would be in a place like this at this time?"

Thinking fast, with that true statement in my brain, I snatched the rifle back up from the ground and positioned it correctly in my hands. Then, I peeked through the scope, still unable to see any details of this attacker's face or body as I lined up the shot. At last, Ethan placed his hands over his ears as I pulled the trigger, filling the air with loud _BOOM_ that immediately punctured my eardrums. The bullet soared up and the silhouette vanished just a moment later.

" _Oh, you're **not** getting away that easy, you piece of shit. Not after what you did to **my** Jessica._" I mentally snarled as I quickly lowered the rifle back down.

Ethan uncovered his ears and turned to me again. "Did you get 'em?" He asked frantically.

"I'm not sure!" I answered, right before I rushed over to long piece of grid that had fallen from above during the cave-in and gestured for Voodoo Boy to follow me. "Come on, we need to make sure that he gets taken care of before he tries going after the rest of the girls back at the lodge!"

Ethan swallowed heavily, giving it away that he didn't like the idea of coming face-to-face with a killer. Nonetheless, he hastily nodded his head at me in agreement and the two of us jetted up the collapsed panel, using it to make it up to one of the upper levels of the abandoned facility.

* * *

 ** _MINES_**

 ** _00:12_**

* * *

While running, I squinted in order to force my vision to adjust to the darkness faster. Ethan was right on my tail, breathing just as hard as I was. Unsettling _CLINKS_ filled the air from our shoes darting across the decayed steel panels. I continued to lead the way as quickly as possible, despite how a piece of me was nervous of the possibility of the floor collapsing from our weight. One of the panels even broke off and fell all the way down to the stone ground after Ethan and I darted across it, making the younger teen let out a startled yelp. Nonetheless, we kept running and constantly got jerked around from how many times these upper levels curved. There were even a few times in which I almost ran into the rickety railings and Ethan stopped with just seconds to spare, hopping after me on his tiptoes and correcting his path like a character from a cartoon.

"Holy cow, how tall is this thing?!" Voodoo Boy inquired, at which we started bounding up a squeaky set of stairs.

A grunt escaped from my mouth as I missed one of the steps from how fast I was hurrying and landed on my knee. With no hesitation, Ethan hooked his arms around one of mine and helped pull me back up, at which the two of us pursued up the hazardous panels. Then, after dashing up two more grid staircases, the chocolate-haired lad and I came across a gap in whichever upper level this was. I didn't think twice before jumping over it, landing perfectly on my feet on the other side. Ethan, however, became as stiff as a statue directly on the edge and made the bad choice to look down. We were _very_ far from the ground, and that clearly terrified him.

"O-oh my gosh..." Ethan whispered to himself, looking a little lightheaded again.

"Ethan, come on! You'll be fine!" I urged as I motioned for him to hurry. "Get over here!"

Despite the fear that was in his hazel orbs, the nature-obsessed teen drew in a sharp breath and listened to my orders. After taking a couple of steps back, he charged forward and managed to jump over to where I was, surprisingly landing on his feet like I had. Unfortunately, when I then turned around to keep running, it came to my realization that the rest of the upper levels had collapsed God knows how long ago. All that was left in their spots to prove that more panels used to be there were busted frames and twisted pieces of demolished steel sticking out from a couple of rocks.

" _Crap ... crap, crap!_ " I internally bellowed, right before I turned my head and looked at towering high wall that was constructed out of more rusty panels, steel grids, and crisscrossed rods. " _Oh, great. It looks like this is the only way up ... this night keeps getting better and better..._ "

Ethan worked on catching his breath as he glanced around, trying to not look down again. "W-where are we supposed to go now?" He questioned. "Oh God ... _p_ _lease_ don't tell me we're gonna have to travel all the way back down and find _another_ way up there."

"No, we're not heading back down." I said with a small pant, keeping my attention locked on the wall as I slung the rifle back across my back. "We're going up."

At first, confusion fluttered through Voodoo Boy's eyes; but when he followed my gaze to the wall, they became as wide as saucers and his jaw dropped as the realization hit him.

"Oh, no!" Ethan revoked, shaking his head vigorously. "No, Michael. No, no, _no._ "

"Ethan..." I said as I made eye contact with him again, my eyebrows raised.

" _No!_ " The fifteen-year-old took a tiny step back, the look on his face perfectly resembling the one that would be on a child's face after they got their lunch money stolen. "There's _no way_ on earth I can actually _climb up_ this freaking thing! Don't you see how tall it is?!"

I licked my lips and tried to be understanding, but considering the situation, that wasn't one hundred percent easy. "Look, I know that you've been afraid of heights ever since we were kids and everything, but we don't have any other options to choose from right now." I hastily spoke. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly thrilled about this whole situation either. Jess was my girlfriend and that son of a bitch _killed her._ Not only does she deserve to be avenged, but we _need_ to make sure that this bastard is history for the sake of Ashley, Sam, Chelsea, and Em. Who knows, he might even try picking off Josh, Chris, Russ, and the rest of our friends as well." I decided to leave out the piece of information that we had also jumped down a freakin' cliff and slid down a steep slope on the way to this place.

Ethan chewed on his bottom lip, sounding like he was on the verge of panicking again. "I know, I know! I'm being selfish and it's awful of me to be acting this way, but..." He sighed heavily and placed his hands on his hips, clearly trying to get a hold of himself. "It's so _high,_ Mike. W-what if we fall? We could bust our skulls open against the grids a-and..." He trailed off, unable to bring himself to finish that sentence; but he didn't have to.

After a short pause, I quietly exhaled. "Alright ... listen..." I said in a tone that was both serious and gentle. "Do you by any chance remember when my parents used to take us to the playground when we were younger and you were scared to climb up the Jungle Gym? I told you to stop acting like a crybaby and to just give it a shot."

Ethan softly nodded his head as a faint, embarrassed blush staining his cheeks. "Yeah, I remember ... I climbed to the top, slipped through one of the openings, and fell."

"But I caught you before you could hit the ground." I reminded, trying to be reassuring while also trying to speed this conversation along. "And nobody else is going to die on my watch. As long as I'm here, I'm not going to let anything bad happen to us. All you need to do is watch where you put your feet, stick to the walls, and trust what I say. Okay?"

The nature-obsessed teen blinked, still looking a little reluctant. Then, as he cut another glance up at how far we would have to climb, he drew in a deep breath to help calm himself.

"Okay." Ethan said shortly after he released the air. "Okay, Mike. Fine. Let's just hurry so we can get this over with."

With a small sigh of relief, I nodded in agreement and flicked my attention back over to the wall that was in front of us. For what felt like an eternity, all I did was stare in silence, trying to figure out how I should start climbing up this thing.

* * *

 _ **X Safe/Quick X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Quick**_

* * *

" _Alright ... here goes nothing..._ " I thought to myself as I finally made a decision on how I should begin leading the way. " _Let's do this, Mikey boy._ "

I curled all ten of my fingers around the cold steel of the grids, feeling Voodoo Boy's eyes following my every move as I then lifted one of my feet up. After positioning it on top of the tarnished rod that was closest to the bottom of the wall, I pulled my other foot up with me and took down a gulp to help clear a lump that was in the process of growing in my throat. I _seriously_ couldn't believe what I was about to do, but I acted fast to prevent myself from even considering backing down.

After sucking in a breath to help prepare myself, I leaped up and grabbed a protruding piece of rusty metal that was on the very edge of the second grid. As this happened, a nervous gasp escaped from Ethan's mouth and he flung his hands up to his eyes. He continued to watch me through his fingers as I swung through the air for a faint second and dragged out a long, thick groan. The feeling of the metal was unpleasant, digging into my fingers to the point where I could've sworn that my bones were being violated. Nonetheless, I hung on with a determined grip, reached my other hand up as well, and ignored the strain that was starting to form in my muscles as I carefully repositioned my feet. My left one stepped up onto a much skinnier rod, right before my right one was brought up onto a smaller piece of protruding metal.

Breathing steadily, I held that pose like Spiderman and glanced back down at the younger teen, trying to ignore how the grids exposed the _long_ way down to the ground.

"See, Ethan? ... Piece of cake." I said in the most nonchalant voice that I could muster. "It's just like one big Jungle Gym. Absolutely nothing to be scared of. Now ... we don't have time for loitering around. You need to start following me up."

The chocolate-haired lad sucked his lips into his mouth, still looking like an anxious puppy with its tail tucked between its legs. Nevertheless, he nodded at me and stepped up to the wall.

"Okay ... stay calm. You got this, Ethan ... you got this." Ethan muttered to himself, sounding a little overwhelmed as he twisted his fingers around the first dirty grate. "Just keep control of your breathing and climb. You can do this ... hopefully." He mumbled that last word a bit more quietly and readied himself on the left side with me keeping a close eye on him.

* * *

 _ **(ETHAN CHOICE)**_

 _ **X Safe/Quick X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Safe**_

* * *

With a few beads of sweat dotted across his brow, Ethan cautiously planted his feet on the lowest rod and locked his attention on yet another piece of metal that was jutting out from the top of the first grid. Then, after drawing in a shaky breath, he used the first set of crisscrossed rods to push himself up. He pounced upwards like a Poptart shooting out of a toaster and snatched a firm hold of the piece of protruding metal. Unfortunately, in the process, he ended up whacking the spot a little above his pelvic area against the wall. I winced at the sight, recalling exactly how that felt since I'd done the same thing while climbing over that fallen tree earlier.

The fifteen-year-old gasped, right before he clenched his eyes shut and gritted his teeth in pain. Shortly after that, he mumbled a tiny F-bomb and cracked his eyes back open, tightening his grip on the piece of metal to the point where I could've sworn that his hand had become as white as flour. As this happened, he slid his other foot around in an attempt to find another piece of protruding metal, obviously too scared to look down. Luckily, after a moment of dangling, he managed to find what he was searching for. He settled his boot on the slimmer piece of metal, keeping his entire body glued to the decayed grids.

"Come on, come on ... gotta keep going..." Ethan grunted, straining his words slightly since he was more than likely still suffering from some discomfort in his lower male regions.

I chewed on my bottom lip, almost fighting the urge to look away as I watched the nature-obsessed teen jump again. Much to my relief, instead of plummeting to his doom, Voodoo Boy managed to grab another horizontal rod with both hands and position his feet in doable spots with a mild groan. His right foot rested on a crisscrossed rod, and his left foot was placed on _another_ bit of protruding metal.

"Ho-kay, ho-kay." I panted a little as Ethan and I made eye contact from opposite sides of the wall for a brief moment. "So far, so good ... we just need to keep it up."

Voodoo Boy kept himself practically glued to the wall and said with some traces of doubt in his voice, "Yeah ... no biggie there."

I flicked my attention back up towards the top of the elevator shaft, feeling exhaustion starting to build up inside of my body all over again. In order to fight against it, I reminded myself of the psycho who had killed my girlfriend and was probably planning to go after my group of buds that were back at the lodge next. With these thoughts egging me on, I knew that I had to make a decision on what my next move should be.

* * *

 _ **X Shimmy/Jump X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Shimmy**_

* * *

"Christ, come on, come on. Come to Pappa." I murmured, in which I clutched the next horizontal rod that was in my reach and pulled my feet away from the objects that they were resting on top of. Then, as I bent my legs at the knees to help prevent the hems of my jeans from getting snagged on the grids, I started to carefully shimmy across the wall in order to get a little closer to the chocolate-haired lad.

"Michael, be careful!" Ethan urged like a frightened parent.

"I got it, I got it." I assured in a somewhat aching tone, considering the muscles in my arms were starting to feel like they were being stretched from the amount of work that I was putting them through.

After successfully making it to the middle of the wall, I decided to start ascending again. My fingers were incredibly sore and I could already feel some calluses starting to form on their tips. Nevertheless, with my focus remaining entirely on the serious situation, I started treating the grating like a ladder. I placed the head of my boot in one of the spaces, hoisted myself up, positioned the head of my other boot in a higher space, retracted my first boot from its spot, and started to scale the wall like a cautious spider. Eventually, after about seven seconds, I decided to stop climbing in order to prevent myself from going too high without Ethan.

I glanced back down at him, feeling my grip on the grids automatically tighten as the realization struck me that we were _much_ higher now.

" _Don't panic ... don't panic._ _Keep calm. You're almost there._ " I mentally encouraged, squeezing my eyes shut for a moment to prevent myself from becoming dizzy.

"Oh my aura, I can't believe this is happening..." Ethan whispered to himself as he reluctantly withdrew one of his feet from its resting spot. "Heights ... _why_ does it have to be freaking _heights?_ " He then pulled his other foot away from the protruding piece of metal and clenched his teeth, dangling as he held on tight to the horizontal rod that I'd previously been holding on to. "D-don't look down ... just keep moving, Ethan..."

Just like I had done, the fifteen-year-old shimmied across the wall and I kept my eyes on him as he stopped as soon as he got close to the right edge. Then, after Ethan managed to hoist himself up enough to position his feet on two more tarnished pieces of protruding metal, he peeked up to make eye contact with me. There was still some space left between us, but the younger teen was now close enough below me to the point where I could reach down and grab him if necessary.

"We're almost to the top." I said in an attempt to defuse the anxiety that was visible in Ethan's hazel orbs.

The nature-obsessed teen gave me a small nod, his face bright red and trickling with more sweat. By this point, pale bruises were beginning to form on his slim fingers and the river of blood on his cheek was starting to become dry against his skin. He glanced back up towards the top of the elevator shaft and drew in a somewhat shaky breath...

* * *

 _ **(ETHAN CHOICE)**_

 _ **X Climb/Jump X**_

 _ **Choice Chosen: Jump**_

* * *

...right before he did something that caught me a little by surprise. He bent himself at the knees and took a much larger jump, luckily grabbing the top of a dirty metal plate in the process. His lips peeled back in discomfort, revealing his clenched teeth as he started pulling himself further up with a low groan. As this happened, I made a move to keep climbing ... until a loud _SCREECH_ pierced my eardrums, followed by the sound of Ethan screaming out at the top of his lungs, "HOLY SHIT!"

With no hesitation, I snapped my attention back down so fast that it was a miracle that my head wasn't spinning in circles. The tarnished plate that Ethan had grabbed on to had broken off the wall, causing him to begin falling.

"WHOA, MY GOD! ETHAN!" I hollered with my eyes practically bugging out of my skull in alarm. Thinking fast, I yanked one of my hands away from the grid and knelt down, using as much control as possible to prevent my feet from slipping off from the skinny rod as I snatched a hold of one of Ethan's hands. It was _very_ cold, and there was no doubt in my mind that it was caused by the icy river that he'd fallen in to during our chase for Jess.

Now, Voodoo Boy's eyes were as large as two globes and he became so pale to the point where it was like he'd just seen a monster.

"M-MIKE!" He yelled, beginning to hyperventilate as the metal plate plummeted all the way down and landed roughly against the grid floor. "O-OH MY GOD! DON'T LET ME FALL!"

I gritted my teeth, hoping to death that my fingers weren't about to rip off from being so tightly curled around the grid. At the same time, a sharp pain electrocuted up and down my arm, making it feel like it was seconds away from being dislocated. Ethan definitely weighed a lot more than he looked and he was completely _dangling_ off the wall, not making this mission any less stressful.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to let you fall!" I grunted out, forcing myself to put up a fight against the strain that was growing even stronger in my muscles.

Then, to make our situation even _worse,_ the nature-obsessed teen made the horrible decision to look down. He sucked in a sharp, strained breath that sounded like it belonged to a distressed animal and it literally looked like he was seconds away from ruining his boxers. Not only that, but he tightened his grip on my hand to the point where it felt like he was crushing my bones into dust, causing me to cringe again.

Completely horrified, Ethan exclaimed through his rapid breathing, "W-we're so _high up,_ Michael!"

"Don't look down! Look up at me!" I ordered, and the younger teen immediately complied. "We're gonna be fine! Just hold on and calm down! Panicking isn't going to get us anywhere!"

After a brief moment of hesitation, Ethan gave a couple of hectic nods and started to try controlling the amount of oxygen that he was drawing in. His breathing was slowly starting to return to a normal pace, but there was a piece of me that could've sworn that I could hear the sound of his heart going crazy in his chest.

An aching moan escaped from my mouth as I increased my grip on Ethan's hand and twirled my fingers even tighter around the grit.

"M-Mike, I feel like I'm slipping!" Voodoo Boy stammered helplessly.

"You are _not_ slipping! I got you!" I reminded with my teeth still grinding together. "I'm gonna pull you up! ... Just grab my wrist with your other hand and work with me here!"

Ethan didn't think twice before obeying, reaching his other arm up from where it was suspending by his side in order to lock his hand tightly around my wrist. Then, with nervous bullets of sweat trickling down from his hairline, he carefully started to place the tips of his shoes in one opening at a time along the grid. At the same time, I ignored the trembling sensation that was in my one arm and kept my teeth clenched as another strained groan escaped from my mouth. At last, with my fingers remaining wrapped around the grit to the point where it felt like I was beginning to draw blood, I hauled the younger teen up to my side and straightened myself back on top of the rod.

Ethan immediately planted his feet against the rusty rod and clung to the wall for dear life. He let out a heavy, shaky breath that was a mixture of shock and relief, at which I shook my aching arm in an attempt to lessen the strain.

"Good God..." I huffed, right before I switched which hand was holding on to the grid so I could crack my sore fingers. "See what happens when you don't take the time to think your choices through, Ethan? You _really_ need to be more careful!"

"Y-yeah." Ethan agreed almost instantly, slowly starting to regain his color. "Sorry 'bout that, I-I'll do better ... but thanks."

I pursued my lips and glanced up, seeing that we only had a couple of more paces to climb. Then, with Jessica's smiling face and gorgeous laughter coming back to my brain, I grumbled, "Well, one death in our group this evening is enough, don't you think?"

The nature-obsessed teen glanced at me, almost stunned by my words; but he must've picked up that it was a rhetorical question, because he didn't say anything back.

"We only have a little bit more to climb." I noted, forcing the devastation from Jess's death to the back of my mind for the time being. "Let's hurry so we can bust this pervert."

"For Jess, right?" Ethan asked softly.

I gave a small nod and repeated him, "Hell yeah, for Jess."

After that, the two of us pursued up the wall. We were both growing more and more tired by the minute, but it was obvious that neither of us were planning to back down anytime soon. By this time, my neck was stiff, my ankles were hurting, the tips of my fingers were completely chapped, and I could tell that some bruises had already managed to form beneath my shirt. Nonetheless, I kept climbing until I made it up to the final horizontal rod that was located at the tippy-top of the elevator shaft.

I had to hug the corner for a moment, wanting to avoid the risk of losing my balance. As this happened, I just so happened to catch a glimpse of what I'd been hoping to find. There, right across from this gap, was the highest floor of the mining shaft. It led into a spooky tunnel, where I was almost one hundred percent positive that this son of a bitch was hiding.

"You're dead meat, bastard." I muttered under my breath, shooting daggers at the tunnel. "You can run, but you can't hide."

After that, I _very_ carefully repositioned myself so my heels were aligned perfectly on the rod and my back was pressed against the wall. Then, I glanced down to look at Voodoo Boy, who was just a little lower on the grit due to his exhaustion catching up to him. Unfortunately, in the process, I felt my heart drop all the way down into the pit of my stomach from seeing how high we were and I had to draw in a deep breath to help prevent myself from becoming lightheaded.

"Here, give me your hand. Give me your hand." I instructed, in which I held on to the wall with one hand and reached my other one down to Ethan.

He immediately obeyed, reaching up and grabbing my hand. "Okay, I got it." Ethan said with slight strain in his voice after ensuring that he had a firm grip.

I gritted my teeth a little again as I helped pull him up. As soon as I was certain that his feet were right beside mine on top of the tarnished bar, I retracted my hand and Ethan pinned his back as flat against the wall as possible. He kept his fingers curled tightly around the grid and refused to look down while he worked on catching his breath.

"Thank God, we made it." Voodoo Boy murmured.

"Well, almost." While panting, I tilted my head back and motioned to the tunnel with my chin. "See that tunnel right there? All we have left to do is jump over to that ledge."

Ethan took down a gulp, his voice still drenched in anxiety. "A-are you sure we can make it over without ... f-falling all the way back down?"

"Yes, I'm positive for two reasons. One, it's not _that_ big of a leap ... and two..." I turned my head to look at the chocolate-haired lad, raising my eyebrows. "I'm gonna give you a hand by doing the same thing to you that I did when we were kids and you were scared to go down the slide at the park."

Confusion appeared across Ethan's features. "What?"

With adrenaline charging through every single vein in my body, I forcefully shoved the younger teen away from the wall and sent him through the air. With a high-pitched gasp, Ethan flew over to the ledge and landed backside-up with a loud _CLANK_ against the few dirty metal plates that were spewed across the ground. Then, immediately after the abrupt impact, the nature-obsessed teen quickly pushed himself over onto his side and stared back across the gap at me. His eyes were large and alarmed, but I couldn't tell if he was stunned by the fact that I had pushed him or because he actually _made it_ over to the tunnel.

"Well, I'm definitely going to feel that in the morning..." Ethan grumbled, wincing slightly as he began picking himself up. "Oh, dammit ... I think I pulled something."

"You alright?" I asked.

The fifteen-year-old fanned some dust away from him and coughed a few times before he gave me a thumbs up. "Yeah, I'm fine." He replied.

"Good." I slid the rifle off my arm, right before I carefully traded it over from one of my hands to the other. "'Cause I'm coming next."

With a nod, Ethan took a step back to give me some space. As this happened, I slowly loosened my grip on the grid and bit down on my bottom lip, saying a quick prayer in my mind. Then, I kicked my heels against the edge of the rod and leaped through the air with a grunt, landing in a kneeling position beside the nature-obsessed teen.

More dust kicked up from underneath the metal plates, causing me to release a string of short coughs. "Alright ... _now_ we made it." I concluded as I rose to my feet, the rifle still in my hands.

Ethan opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, something caught his attention. "Oh my God..." He muttered, right before he pointed an urgent finger down the tunnel. "Michael, look!"

I immediately followed his gaze and saw what it was that had scared him. A shadowy figure had emerged from another section of the tunnel and was continuing to walk down it, completely oblivious to being watched.

"Shit!" I exclaimed in a whisper, my eyes wide. "There he is!"

I attempted to lift the rifle to take a shot. Unfortunately, the dark man ended up disappearing around the corner before I could aim and pull the trigger. As a result of this, I dropped a mental F-bomb, swung the weapon back over my shoulder, and gestured for Ethan to follow me. The two of us quickly jogged down the tunnel, trying to keep each of our steps quiet in order to prevent alerting the stranger. Then, when we reached the end, we ended up skidding to a halt in a medium-sized cavern that was cluttered with more damaged barriers and a few rundown mining carts. The same unidentified figure could be seen at the far end of another tunnel, and as soon as my eyes landed on him, I knew that it was time.

"Get him, Mike, get him!" Voodoo Boy urged, just as I hastily removed the rifle and lifted it up again.

I peeked through the dirty scope and zoomed in as much as possible, honestly hating how I was still unable to see any actual features of this person. My heart started charging like a wild bull in my chest as I curled my finger around the trigger. Then, with my deceased girlfriend's bloody wounds and battered skin egging me on in my brain, I settled my aim on the pervert's back ... and took the shot.

However, instead of sending out a bullet, the weapon made a small _clink_ sound and nothing happened.

"What?" I lowered the rifle and stared at it in disbelief, feeling a little pale as the realization hit me that it must've been jammed. "Come on. Come ON!"

"Oh, you _can't_ be serious..." Ethan muttered, also looking at the gun in alarm.

Displeased, I shook the weapon a little in my hands and grumbled, "Piece of shit..." After that, I tossed the useless gun aside and left it to land in the dirt.

Although, not even three seconds after I did that, the younger teen straightened his lips in uncertainty and knelt down to pick the rifle back up. He reached for it, stopped his hand when the tips of his fingers were just inches away, and then decided to grab it after all. Then, he stood back up, fixed the strap around himself, and positioned the weapon across his back. As he did all of this, I didn't really bother to pay attention. My eyes were locked straight ahead, watching the stranger at the end of the tunnel as he squatted and jumped out of sight. Loud _CLANKS_ began echoing through the caves while this happened, coming from a steel gate that was starting to close.

* * *

 _ **..BUTTERFLY EFFECT UPDATE..**_

 _ **(Helping Hand) -**_ **Ethan decided to take the rifle for himself...**

* * *

"Oh no!" Ethan exclaimed at the sight of the lowering gate.

I clenched my teeth, feeling jolt of panic shot through my body. "Christ! Gotta make it!" I proclaimed.

Thinking fast, as the clanking grew louder, the chocolate-haired lad and I raced towards the gate. With just a split second left to spare, I managed to drop myself down onto my side and slide over to the other side with a grunt from the unpleasant feeling of my hip slamming against the old planks. At the same time, Ethan threw himself down onto his stomach like a penguin and slid over to the opposite side of the mines with me. Then, as the gate finished lowering behind us, we got back up, Voodoo Boy worked on dusting himself off, and I noticed a lantern that was conveniently placed on the ground in front of us.

With a tiny sigh of relief, I knelt down and patted my pockets in search for something that could help me light the lantern. "Come on, come on..." I whispered, only finding my wallet, some breath spray, the keys to my car, and an unopened packet of condoms. "Ugh, dammit..."

"Here, use this." Ethan said, in which he reached into one of his wet leather boots and pulled out a lighter. "It may be a little wet, but it could still come in handy."

I took the Zippo from him and used the hem of my undershirt to quickly dry it off. After that, I ignited a flame, used it to light the rusty lantern, and then slid the Zippo into my pocket in case it would be needed again. However, when I picked the new source of light up and waved it around, it came to my realization that Jessica's attacker was nowhere in sight. Whoever that prick was, he must've been _very_ fast ... and as much as I hated to admit it, that was awfully unsettling to me.

"God, this is reminding me of that freaky scene from _The Conjuring._ " Ethan nervously whimpered, sticking close to me. "You know, that scene where the girl plays Hide and Clap? She gets locked in the basement and when she lights a match to help her see, a pair of hands pop out of the dark and clap behind her."

I immediately swiveled around, causing the younger teen to yelp from getting caught off guard. "Is now _really_ the time to bring creepy, demonic shit like that up?" I demanded, honestly feeling a tiny bit freaked out from that scene coming back to my mind.

"Sorry..." Ethan apologized for the billionth time, fiddling around with his nails.

Seeing that this was a one-way path, I didn't think twice before approaching the edge of the platform and hopping down. Ethan was right on my tail, quickly seating himself on the ledge before he pushed himself off to lessen the risk of hurting himself. Then, as soon as he landed behind me, the two of us hightailed it through the tunnel as fast as our legs could carry us. Along the way, we ran past another lantern that had also been conveniently abandoned and I could just barely make out a bright beam of moonlight shining through an opening in the rocks dead ahead.

However, when the nature-obsessed teen and I made it out of the tunnel, we were both _far_ from feeling relieved or accomplished. The freezing wind was roaring louder than ever before, slicing through the air like jagged blades and blowing thick puffs of snow all over the place. Not only that, but the snowflakes that were still in the process of falling from the sky were pouring down at a much harder speed. I could've sworn that there were even pieces of hail mixed in to the flurry now; but I couldn't tell if that was because there was _actual_ hail, or because the snow was falling at such a pace that it just _felt_ like hail. Either way, it was practically a whiteout out here - _nothing_ like what it had been when Ethan and I had first stumbled upon the mining facility.

"Ho! Shit!" Voodoo Boy cursed as he held his hands out in front of his face in an attempt to guard himself from the snow.

In less than a second, the wind numbed my face to the point where it started to sting and every single hair on my body shot up. I tried forcing my eyes to adjust to the awful weather conditions faster, squinting to the point where I could feel the painful strain already beginning to build up in the sides of my head. As this happened, Ethan crossed his arms over his chest and his legs started to quiver. Nonetheless, we both pursued forward, taking small steps through the blizzard while trying our hardest to ignore how the icy breeze practically burned our lungs every time we breathed.

"Oh God..." I cringed, feeling the snowflakes pelt me in the face and neck like sharp pieces of broken glass.

Ethan cuffed his hands around his mouth and blew into them, which I highly doubt did anything to _really_ warm him up. "I-I don't think I've ever seen M-Mother Nature _t-this_ upset before!" He noted through chattering teeth, having to raise his voice in order to be heard over the screeching of the wind. "This blizzard is only going to get worse!"

"Oh, really? And here I was thinking that it was just starting to clear up!" I called back in a tone that was _very_ sarcastic.

Ethan's shoulders started shaking along with his legs. "We _really_ need to find shelter!" He insisted, and I knew that he was right. "Maybe we should try turning back and - oh, wait! I think I see something!"

At first, aside from the flame that was flickering in the lantern, I struggled to see anything ... but then, by some miracle, the wind slowed down enough for me to spot what it was that had grabbed Ethan's attention through the blizzard. In the distance, there was this building that was so huge to the point where I was stunned that I'd failed to see it sooner. It didn't take much effort for me or Voodoo Boy to understand that it was abandoned, but that only made it seem spookier.

The fifteen-year-old's hazel orbs expanded in disbelief when the view of the building became a lot more clear, and the two of us froze at each other's sides.

"Jesus!" I exhaled, filling the air with a misty cloud from my breath. "The hell is that place?"

"I ... I'm not sure." Ethan responded, as if I was actually expecting him to know the answer. "Aside from the lodge, the guest cabin, and the Cable Car stations, I never knew about there being any other specified locations on this entire mountain. You think the Washington's know anything about this?" As he said his final sentence, he glanced back in the direction of the mining facility and then locked his gaze back on the mysterious building.

"Not unless Josh and his parents have eight dwarfs and a Disney princess working for them." I replied in a stale voice, still waving the lantern around. "This mining facility has clearly been abandoned for quite some time. The building over there doesn't look like it's been renovated in God knows how long either."

Ethan uneasily bit down on his bottom lip. "This ... this is some serious _Scooby Doo_ crap, Mike ... I _don't_ like it." He murmured, just as something else caught my eye.

The silhouette of Jessica's attacker could be seen in the distance as well, approachingthe unidentified building. I could tell that Ethan must've seen what I was seeing as well, because when I peeked over at him from the corner of my eye, I saw that his attention was locked in the same direction and he was opening and closing his mouth repeatedly. It was obvious that he was trying to speak up and warn me about the stranger, but he couldn't get any words to come out.

" _Why, that son of a..._ " My brain went on a rampage, finishing that statement with every curse word in existence.

I shot a venomous stare in the direction of the shadowy figure, still determined to avenge Jess and ensure the safety of everyone else back at the lodge. This might've been a crazy thing to do and there was a piece of me that was almost one hundred percent positive that I was going to regret what was about to happen, but I knew that I couldn't let this bastard get away with what he did.

"Ethan, follow me!" I exclaimed, in which I hurried over to a series of frost-covered rocks that could be used as a staircase in order to get down from this cliff.

Voodoo Boy trotted after me, not wanting to be left behind. "Where are we going?" He inquired with a mixture of confusion, anxiety, and concern brewing in his eyes.

I glanced over my shoulder at him and replied, "We're going after this asshole."

* * *

 **A/N: And after weeks of working hard,** **my fabulous readers, I have finished another chapter for all of you. :D I tried my best to make it as action packed as possible, considering the rest of the events from here on out is the _really_ dramatic parts of the game. So, I hope you all enjoyed the Mike and Ethan action that took place in part one of _Loyalty!_ :D **

**Please give me feedback on your thoughts of this chapter. Don't be shy to share your opinions. You can PM them to me at anytime or write them in the comment section. Really, I'm _super_ thankful for feedback and it helps me very much. I also appreciate it, so don't ever feel like you have to hold back. Please review, and thank you all very much. :)**

 **Fun Fact : Unless I'm mistaking, this is the first chapter in the whole story in which only one POV was used.**

 **Well, ladies and gentlemen, the time has come for me to officially end this chapter.**

 **I hope you all have a spectacular day! Remember, you're all beautiful and wonderful! I wish you all happy reading and writing! :D**

 **Crystalteen, out!**


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